Angel Star
by Droory
Summary: Mia was afraid of Felix. Then she realised he was a man desperately in need of a saviour. Deciding she had to be this saviour, she sets out to save Felix from an unwelcome fate that they both believe is fast approaching for him. Because angels must always help... no matter what.
1. Angel's Night

_**Hey all, for any who don't know, I'm Droory, and I'll be your writer for this fic. Thank you in advance for reading, and if you stop here, well... I can't do anything to stop you.  
There is a story behind this story, interestingly enough. ThorHammer17's: "Tundra" and DropOfInk's: "Catharsis" were the first fics I ever read and I was inspired by their sheer awesomeness. I then began writing this intending it be a oneshot. That eventually evolved into a very long story, so you know... do be sure to go check those other two out, trust me, it's worth it. (And no, I am not being paid to advertise for them, I just respect them so much)  
Anyway, this is a Sofstshipping fic, something I believe is not explored nearly enough. So, I invite you to read, hopefully enjoy, and then find the time to drop a review. anyway, I've probably bored you beyond all imagination, so onwards.**_

* * *

Mia awoke suddenly, panting from another nightmare. The Imilian healer usually achieved a good night's rest, but the events of earlier that day had left her scared and excited. She had finally met him, he who brought such a great confusion and dread. Her only memory of him was from then, from a year ago, when she had learned what it meant to be afraid, atop the Lighthouse of Venus' power.

_She had first seen him there, atop the Lighthouse embodying all that was earth. Fear had gripped her heart, clutching down on it with all of its might to ensure that Mia knew to be afraid. She could hardly look at him. He was not much older than even she was, yet he was so… so _dark_. She could almost see the air around him, his aura, fo the deepest black, even more stained than the two demons who he worked with. Deep lines were carved deep into the features far too old for his youthful age, each line telling a long story of sorrow, regret, hate, and utter sadness._

_His eyes though, they were what scared her beyond all else. They were like glass, barely showing any tenderness or hope in their dark sheen of deep brown. His hair blew and stuck against the dark orbs fluids, blinding others to what lay within them. No one could see the cold, impenetrable glass behind the ebony screen. She knew to be entirely afraid of that boy, if he even was any more. All she could see was a shell, an empty husk that no longer contained a soul or heart. This shell was cut from everything she knew of the world and had joined some other force, something she could never understand._

_She fought, less afraid of the demon-like warriors and the horror of the dragon they fused into, with her fear still fixated on _him_. Then Psynergy ripped through the sky, polluting the thin air of the Aerie with earthen energies and force, attacking flesh and steel with its raw power. Then Mia saw _him _come back to life. She saw both his heart and his soul explode back to existence within him. They threw him to the frail girl, the girl they had come to rescue, offering him the strength to risk all for the princess of Lalivero._

_Mia's sympathy went to him, along with all of her hope, as he struggled to pull the fragile girl back up to the safety of the Aerie's steel. She realised what he was capable of then. Everything she had seen in that one moment told her so much, and made her ask so much more. She was then forced to watch in disbelieving horror…_

_As he failed._

_Everyone cringed, listening to the high-pitched scream of horror as the girl tumbled through the air. All of Mia's training showed her what would happen when the girl crashed into the earth so far below. Then there was another, a darker, primal roar of rage and disgust. Mia's eyes flashed to the man just in time to see him stare to the heavens before diving._

_He dived._

_Seeming to pray, the man had thrown himself from the Aerie. He threw himself after the girl, as though trying to save her from something that only he knew._ _She screamed for him and reached out her hand, hoping, praying, that he would be safe. She knew, against all her better hopes and prayers, that neither he nor the girl would survive. She fell to her knees, crying for him. Not crying for her friends who had witnessed their once best friend jump. Not crying for the little girl who had fallen. Not crying for his sister who would now be alone in the world. No, she cried for him, because he deserved some tears to be shed for him in the world before he died._

She had learned later that because of the combined power of the Mercury Beacon and the newly ignited Venus Beacon that all the land around the base of Venus Lighthouse had flooded briefly. She had hoped then that maybe he had been saved. She had hoped that Mercury had received her prayer and saved him. Regardless of who he was, he had been a good man once. Maybe he still was.

When she learned that he was alive she was… confused. She was joyous that he had survived, because surely that meant the girl had too. She was joyous that her prayers for him had been heard, and her tears had been honoured. She was afraid though, she was still so afraid of what she had seen atop the Aerie. Surely that meant they had to chase him, and she had to see him again and be afraid. Surely it meant they had to fight. She had been so confused.

How could someone so dark have a heart that was so good and pure? How could someone be so tormented and yet so selfless? Her curiosity flared that morning when he exchanged, perhaps not friendly but certainly not dark or threatening, words and turned her world and perception of life upside down.

She and her companions had stalked him, willing to kill, to stop him from destroying the world. Only for them to learn that it was not his efforts but theirs which would bring the end.

The amazement and fear she felt at that moment never had an outlet. Instead it built into a never-ending increasing curiosity. She sighed internally, confusion was clouding all of her mind, and nothing she knew seemed true anymore. She needed discover more. Discover who he was and, more importantly, what he was. She couldn't think him a normal Adept, no one she had ever known, Adept or not, had ever displayed the two opposing extremes of personality and held sanity.

She looked around her room and saw the two silhouettes of Jenna and Sheba still sleeping peacefully. She got out of bed, quietly to ensure that she didn't disturb her friends' dreams, and walked to the window. She opened it and felt refreshed as the cool night air passed across her. She breathed deeply, the refreshing night air flowing slowly into her lungs. She scanned the town of Contigo outside and saw a small travelling lantern held in the hands of a lone walker. She frowned and turned her gaze to the heavens, awash with glittering crystals and a brilliantly pale crescent jewel that hung above her. It bathed the ground in a heavenly glow, a beam of light that she related to a passage to the skies. The occasional lonely cloud slowly drifted past, casting its shadow on the ground.

She turned her gaze back to the earth in time to see the young walker's shadow disappear into the night. Her curiosity was now bubbling inside and she wished to discover the motive behind this walker's escape into the night. She walked silently to the trunk at the foot of her bed and grabbed her travelling cloak, tying it tightly around her. She snuck into the small bathroom, loathing the horrible creaking of the old wooden door, and quickly lit the small candle.

Mia's eyes moved over her own reflection in the candle's dappled arms of light. It struggled to hold its own against the pale blue darkness of the moon's light. Her sapphire orbs reflected this battle for light perfectly. Each change of light shone a new shafted reflection onto the surfaces of her eyes only to be changed again. Her dark pupils occasionally swallowed by, occasionally swallowing, the short streaks of varied azure and cobalt that surrounded them.

Her hair flowed from her, so akin to the element she was attuned to. The delicate tresses seemed to be like the very currents of water that one saw all through the world of Weyard. They rained around her face, perfectly controlled, enhancing her subtly beautiful features. She was a naturally beautiful young woman, even though she would never accept or agree to such comments.

Sometimes the human condition of egotism would kick in, resulting in her comparing herself to others. She hated when this happened, she never liked comparing people especially not with her, everyone was different and beautiful in their own way to her, but sadly she couldn't help it.

Was it truly a bad thing, though? To feel pride for how you look? To think you are prettier than others? To feel you are, in some way, better than others? She hated the questions. Her modesty and care for people were constantly at war with this sense of pride, attempting to keep it at bay or at least make it less vain and narcissistic. She shook her head, hoping to shake away the argument her mind was shouting in her head, and tied her cerulean hair with her white ribbon. As always she left her fringe and strands along her ear line free, a complimenting look.

She took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself, this was something she would never do, so why was she? Why was she making such a fuss over her appearance? What if she just made a fool of herself? What if it didn't work out? What if she ruined her chance? What if they could never have a healthy friendship because of what she was about to do? She took another deep breath, trying to force such fears away, it would work out. It would be like the stories she was told growing up, but this was the real world, it never works like the stories, at least not from anything she'd ever experienced. Through all her travels with Isaac, Garet and Ivan, and all their battles together, nothing she had seen related to the stories in anyway, reality's flames always seemed to scorch the delicate leaves of fantasy and hope. She took several slow deep breaths, trying to calm her mind, extinguishing the small candle as she exhaled, it would work.

She would make it work.

A curious smiling frown played around her lips as she thought of being alone with him. She quietly travelled outside, careful not to wake anyone as she did. The night air, which was so refreshing upstairs, was frigid and stung her bare arms with its cool night time breeze. She pulled her cloak closer to her and smiled up to the moon. She lifted her hand up, trying to touch it. She knew she couldn't, but she could dream.

She had heard once that when you die, a star appears in the sky for you. That had always calmed her during battles, knowing that she would always be able to see her friends if they died or that they would be able to see her. She shook her head, not wanting to think of her friends deaths. She danced slightly as she walked, watching her shadow swirl and twist in the pale moonlight. She sang under her breath as she travelled down into the fields in search of the Venus Adept. She was scared, not just from the uncertainty of what she was doing but the fear of seeing him as the cold, emotionless, dark being she remembered.

* * *

Calm controlled breath was the only noise amid the plains around him now. He calmly surveyed the surrounding area, wary of any other attackers hidden in the shadows, that last one was annoying enough. He smiled slightly as a halcyon breeze passed him, rustling the long grass and then having the night's silence return again. Fanning the flame of his lantern, he sensed the presence of another Adept. He smiled, waiting for them to reveal themselves.

_"Echo."_ He called to his faithful Djinni.

At this the brown form of his first Venus Djinni appeared before him, _"Yes, Felix?"_

The elemental beings known as Djinn had always fascinated him, he could never figure out what they were entirely. Animals seemed like such a diminutive, insulting name, they were as intelligent as humans if not more so, yet that's what he had first related them too, even though they had no similarity to any animal he had seen before. Djinn varied greatly between elements, in look, mannerisms and actions, yet only very small, subtle differences existed with those of the same element. All of his Venus Djinn looked similar perhaps varying in size or shade of brown slightly, but that was it.

Echo seemed the typical. A small brown form, no taller than Felix's knee, short spikes along his back running into a tail, oval feet at the base of his body with no hint of legs, large pointed ears that twitched as he spoke, even though he lacked a mouth, and, his most obvious feature, two large glassy blue orbs of eyes which rested near the top of his body. He had since decided that Djinn were as different from animals as he was.

_"Isaac,"_ Felix said coolly, _"could you feel a connection between him and his Djinn?"_

Echo stood before his master silently for a moment and answered, _"Master, are you afraid Isaac and his group may be more powerful and well suited than us?"_

Felix smirked at the Venus Djinni, _"Not entirely Echo, I know they are powerful and very able for the task before us. I simply wish to know if Isaac's stronger than me, what of his strength or his prowess with Psynergy? I need to determine whether or not he should lead and not me."_

Echo's glassy blue orbs stared into Felix's eyes, _"Master, you have nothing to fear, you are the stronger in both ways, although only by a small amount."_

Felix smiled, _"Thanks Echo, that's all I needed to know."_

Felix then called upon the rest of his Djinn, _"Friends relax I do not need your powers right now, I just thought it might be nice for you all to be outside."_

His Djinn hopped and ran around, and he laughed slightly under his breath. He then began to glow with power and the silvery rings of Psynergy enveloped his body. A small mound of dirt, rock and mud rose from the ground and Felix shaped it to be a slightly more comfortable makeshift seat. Sighing aloud, he fell into it, he had grown weary of night after night of restlessness, leaders rarely slept well, and he wondered if Isaac sometimes suffered the same fate.

Running both hands down along his face he tried to clear his head, his eyes were heavy yet sleep seemed impossible. His hands drifted through his hair and undid the clasp that kept it in its usual neat ponytail. He tossed his head down and back up several times, it was rare that he left his hair loose, preferring to keep it from obscuring his view if attacked by monsters.

He closed his eyes and tried to remove himself from the situation, to take a step back, view everything without mental or physical distraction and try a find some way to cure the insomnia from which he so often suffered. He had done this many times before only to return empty handed. He had asked Kraden, the wizened scholar of Alchemy who travelled with them, if he knew of any remedy. Sadly Kraden could only offer a small vial of a potion which calmed the senses, something Felix did not need. Piers, the ancient Lemurian Mercury Adept, who was no doubt older than Kraden yet who appeared no older than Felix, had tried finding an old Lemurian recipe for him on-board their proud ship, but to no avail.

He sighed and resigned to the thoughts that usually occupied his lonesome nights: the thoughts of life and what was left to him after he completed his goal. He would be hated and feared by the world whereas his companions would be left innocent. That was his hope anyway. They didn't deserve the same burden that he felt he would suffer. They were all still young, innocent and pure. True, they had agreed to help him, but he could feel the darkness surrounding him. A contrast to all the others, light air and happiness fell on them, whereas he was stuck in the gravity of determination and hopeless realisation.

He would change the world forever, throwing it into turmoil and confusion as the people panic and fight in their fear. The world would suffer at the hands of man and beast alike, all being thrown into a war of the unknown. The world would wage war on itself as the elements, unleashed and unrestrained, rampaged through the world, changing and reshaping. He didn't want to cause this. So many lives would never be the same, so many had already been irreversibly changed forever.

Just like his.

He wearily opened his eyes from the cynical thoughts that rampaged so often in his mind as a warm sensation ran down his left arm, reminding him of a jagged cut he had received because of that bothersome monster. He removed his thick leather glove and rolled back the torn sleeve of his tunic. To someone who hadn't seen many battles, the cut would have been a source of nausea and worry. A long jagged gash down the entire length of his forearm, a fair amount of blood leaked from where it had dug deep enough, crimson, purple and black hues along the edges and a piece of the monsters claw still lodged within. To Felix though, it seemed a trifling thing with no need for panic.

_"Flower."_ He beckoned to one of his Djinni.

The small brown Djinni, with strange flowers running along the end of its tail hopped over to him, glanced at his arm and nodded quickly. It glowed yellow and several vines and herbs grew along Felix's arm. Felix grunted slightly as he pulled out the long curved claw from his arm with some difficulty and watched as his Djinni hopped in front of him. He nodded in return and placed his hand over his arm, now resembling a moss covered trunk that had fallen from a tree, and glowed once more with the silvery Psynergetic rings.

He let out a relieved breath and Flower glowed again. As it did the vines, herbs, and moss fell from his arm with the same ease that they had appeared there. He turned his arm around slowly trying to ensure the cut was closed and healed successfully. A long jagged scar, almost as grotesque as the cut itself now decorated his forearm, absent of any trace of blood or foreign colour. He flexed his hand several times to ensure nothing was damaged and then put back on his glove and rolled his sleeve back down.

_"Thanks, Flower."_ He smiled.

_"Of course."_ It answered its voice a slightly higher pitch than Echo's.

It hopped back over to where the other Djinn where and they all stopped suddenly and turned to look at him.

_"Master,"_ They all spoke in unison, _"please don't doubt your powers anymore. We are aware that you knew you were stronger than Isaac, there was no need to ask us."_

Felix and his Djinn laughed together. Suddenly Felix heard a voice behind him.

_"They're right you know."_

Felix turned around slowly, his long ebony hair fell over his shoulders with the breeze, and he raised a quizzical eyebrow at the sight of the cerulean haired Mercury Adept in front of him. He had known someone was near, but had not expected Mia. She walked toward him, her dark blue travelling cloak wisped gently behind her. Felix raised another seat beside him for Mia.

_"Thank you, Felix."_

He nodded in return. She sat beside him and released her Mercury Djinn to play with Felix's. They were almost identical to Venus Djinn. The only major differences between them were their light blue colouration, their thin tail which ended in a small purple crescent shape and big yellow orbs for eyes.

_"You're much stronger than Isaac, you know."_ She tipped her head toward him, eyes watching the Djinn, _"I mean, you and Piers were able to easily defeat Karst and Agatio, before Jenna and Sheba could even help Garet and me out of that trap, and you were seriously out of your element with the Jupiter Beacon right beside you. Isaac and Ivan barely scratched them before they were downed."_

Mia frowned internally, fearing she may be coming across to friendly, she didn't want to seem transparent or, even worse, desperate. She wrapped her travelling cloak tightly around her as a strong gust passed them and turned to face Felix, fixing her sapphire eyes on his deep chocolate ones. Felix sensed something in the air with her, an aura of sorts, soothing and caring.

_"Thanks."_ He said scratching the back of his head absently, _"Are you cold?"_ He asked, gesturing to the fact that she wore only her pale blue nightgown and travelling cloak.

Before she answered Felix had already taken off his blue one-shouldered cloak and retrieved his green one, which he hadn't donned since Venus Lighthouse, from his travelling bag and placed them around her.

_"Thank you, Felix,"_ Her embarrassment tinged her words. A slight blush appeared on her cheeks, _"you didn't have to."_

Felix shrugged and waved a hand in dismissal. He began to glow with Psynergy again and half an earthen dome rose around them protecting them from the chill night breeze.

_"I said you didn't have to…"_ As she spoke her face reddened.

Felix shrugged again and reached out for his travelling lantern, gathered some sticks and wood from around him and made a small campfire beside them. He gently blew the flames as the first tongue of flame danced upon the wood.

_"Really, Felix, there's no need I'm used to the cold…"_

Her cheeks were glowing red and she was thankful for the fires orange glow which hid her embarrassment. Felix continued to fan the flames, until he was sure they would remain. He shrugged once again as he pulled away from the fire and sat back next to Mia, eyeing her with a gentle expression. She hadn't expected him to be so… friendly, but she was glad for the warmth and comfort that he offered.

_"So,"_ He started, _"what brings you out to the cold, harsh, wilds tonight?"_

Mia giggled internally at his playful tone_, "I was just curious as to what a certain Venus Adept was doing trekking into the wild on such a night…"_ She said in the same playful tone, her blush fading.

_"I rarely sleep well."_ He admitted simply.

_"Oh, I'm sorry… uh, do you know why?"_

Felix looked up thoughtfully as he thought of how best to tell her why. The truth was his worries and responsibilities as a leader were the main reason, but his usual sleepless nights had other reasons behind them.

_"Worry."_ He shrugged, staring up at the multitude of burning candles amidst the dark sky.

_"Anything I can do to help you?"_ She asked, her tone the caring, loving one usually with her.

He turned to her, surprised at her concern for him and genuinely thankful for it, _"Thank you, Mia, really. But I don't think you can help, sadly that's the burden of leadership."_

_"Well if there ever is, just ask. I'll do what I can."_ She smiled, looking all the more like an angel, _"So, why are you down here?"_

Felix narrowed his eyes slightly. There was no need to tell her, was there? But hell, no one else had shown this much care when he disappeared night after night, _"To think."_ He answered honestly.

_"About what?"_ She asked innocently.

Felix didn't respond. He barely knew Mia. She had looked at him earlier with such fear, almost hate. He couldn't trust her, not yet. Mia, sensing this very same, reached out a hand tenderly and squeezed his arm. He winced and pulled away from her with a short grunt.

_"Wh-what's wrong?"_ She questioned instantly, feeling she had done something heinous.

_"It's nothing."_ He grunted, massaging his hand along the arm with active Psynergy, _"Just a small cut."_

_"I can help."_ Mia stated,_ "Heal it I mean, I am a healer after all."_

Felix let out a breath through his nose and showed Mia the recently healed large gash which ran down the length of his arm. Mia gasped slightly at the sight of the grotesque jagged scar down his forearm, with blood trickling out at his elbow. She could scarcely imagine what it would have looked like beforehand. His arm still had some crimson stains along the scar understandably she assumed, with great accuracy, that a fair amount of blood had spilled from the wound at first.

She hoped that when he healed himself that he was successful in returning some of the blood to his system. She carefully ran her hand along the scar and searched for the cut from which the blood was slowly trickling. She found a small wound just above his elbow, the size of a pinhole, barely perceptible. She smiled slightly. She was surprised a Venus Adept could heal a wound like this. Isaac had only been able to cure bruises and small cuts, but Felix could heal with surprising skill.

_"How did this happen?"_ She asked as the silvery rings encircled her. She placed her hands on Felix's arm and a cooling sensation ran through it. The small spirit of Ply appeared above his arm and sprinkled a light blue dust on it.

_"A monster attacked me when I wasn't paying attention, nothing serious."_ He answered as the healing Psynergy washed within his arm. It felt like tiny droplets of water falling on his arm and drifting through his skin into his blood. His blood retreated back beneath the scar before returning to the normal smooth skin once again.

_"There."_ Mia smiled, withdrawing her hands from his arm. She smiled as she prodded it in several places, ensuring it was properly healed. She nodded and smiled up to him as he held his arm up and scrutinised it.

He slowly ran his hand along his arm and rolled his sleeve back up, _"Impressive."_ Felix stared at his arm, and an oddly mischievous grin grew within his mind, _"Your turn. Why are you down here?"_

Mia blushed slightly as she tried to think of a believable reason for following him. The truth just seemed too embarrassing to her, _"Curiosity I guess."_ She said bashfully, _"And I didn't really like to think of you being alone…"_ Her thoughts screamed, telling her she had said more than she had needed and hoping that he only took her comment at face value.

_"Curiosity?"_ He raised his eyebrow.

She nodded.

_"Regarding?"_

She stayed silent, working her best to determine which question to ask first, _"You…"_

_"Me?" _He repeated, genuinely surprised.

She nodded again, unsure of how to follow up what she said.

_"I'm not a person of conversation."_ He admitted, _"But, I'll try to answer what I can."_

_"I don't know how to ask…"_ She said simply, feeling ridiculous beyond belief.

_"I see, take your time."_ He said, fixing his eyes right on her.

His words didn't make what she wanted to ask any easier. In fact in her mind it seemed to make it unimaginably harder.

After a short time of silence she finally broke the air, _"I'm scared of you."_

Understandably, her words stunned Felix even though he showed nothing, _"I'm sorry."_

His apology made her feel horrible in a way, _"Don't be. It's my fault. I-I just don't understand you."_

He stayed silent, sensing she had much more to say and that it wouldn't be particularly complimentary.

_"You just looked so haunting when I saw you on Venus Lighthouse. It was like you were possessed. You looked so cold, so sad, and so angry. I didn't understand how you could look at Isaac and Garet like you did. It was terrifying."_

Felix nodded, understanding, but remained silent.

_"Then when Sheba fell, you looked demented, like sadness was crushing you. Then you jumped. I couldn't believe it. You risked everything to save her. That threw my entire assessment of you away. It even shocked Isaac and Garet. I don't know what to think."_ She turned her eyes to the ground, afraid of seeing the Felix she remembered from the past in the one beside her now, _"You need to understand, Felix. I thought you were evil. I thought we'd have to kill you. I thought you were trying to kill everyone. I thought I… that maybe I hated you. I didn't but I convinced myself I did." _

Meanwhile, Felix's mind was working to describe in the best way possible his demeanour on that day, _"Mia,"_ He began slowly, _"I'm cursed."_

She looked up suddenly, surprise coursing over her face, which only intensified when the calm visage of Felix remained.

_"I've taken up lighting the remaining Elemental Beacons, a cursed task. Some horrible fate waits to befall me."_

_"H-how can you accept that?"_

_"I never wanted to save the world, not when I began this journey anyway. I have a personal stake in this. I will do whatever I have to. I'll take all the blame. I won't let anyone else suffer."_

Pretending to be evil so that everyone else would be left pure? She had to admire him, _"F-Felix…"_ She said sadly, her eyes were beginning to well with tears at her words.

_"The darkness you say you saw in me. I believe that was the knowledge of this and the determination to face it. I won't let it stop me. I just have to deal with it. I don't truly mean to be so… terrifying."_ He said apologetically.

_"Felix… t-that's so brave… I could never do that."_

He shrugged slightly and focused his gaze on a patch of dirt, _"Don't worry. You don't have to."_

_"But you shouldn't have to either!"_ She pleaded desperately, _"Don't face it alone!"_

He shrugged again, unwilling to argue.

She grabbed the fibres of his tunic and forced him to face her, her eyes pooling with glittering tears, _"We'll all face it. We're all doing this willingly, you're not forcing anyone. You don't deserve it…"_

He smiled.

* * *

He had smiled.

A smile. A small one. It was definitely there though. A smile. A tiny glimpse of light on an otherwise darkly calm visage. This eased Mia's mind a lot, she couldn't recall ever seeing him smile and had never heard any story mentioning him doing so. It was an entirely new sensation. It calmed her more than a smile from anyone else would.

_"Thanks, Mia."_ He was truly thankful, _"You might think I don't deserve it, but I do. I don't want anyone else to suffer because of me. Enough already do."_

He wasn't sure why he was confiding in Mia, he hadn't even told his sister. There was a certain air that followed Mia, a reassuring, calming, peaceful feeling that drifted with her.

Mia frowned mournfully and, before either of them knew what happened, her heart went out to the man. He was so selfless, so damnably prideful, so horribly alone, and so pitifully strong despite it all. Her hand went to his face, resting gently against his cheek. She didn't know why. She felt the sting of tears on her eyes for him, like she had so long ago. It wasn't fair.

Widening her eyes in shock, she saw Felix's eyes close as he rested into her hand, bringing his to hold it closer to him. It seemed he was… that he was glad for human contact or interaction. How far gone was he? The chill of the darkness, of everything, vanished as he held her hand closer, almost begging for it not to be released. There was a strange buzz in the back of her mind willing her to say something, but a numbing feeling in her chest preventing her from voicing them. Dumbstruck, she watched him. She moved her index finger gently against his cheek. He seemed so content.

Felix's eyes stayed perfectly fixed behind his eyelids, as his rationality worked through his brain. His mind worked to find the best way to follow their current position. He was incredibly thankful for the care she was showing, especially for someone who was terrified of him. It was a simple gesture. Simple, but it was more than he was shown. The others, even his sister, more often than not alienated him because of his past and his lies. He was amazed, if nothing else, that Mia, a girl who by all indications feared and resented him up until not hours previous, was showing him care. He had to show his gratitude. He slowly opened his eyes to see Mia's fully open and still, her mouth slightly agape, as she stared. He took her hand from his face and gently rested it back onto her lap.

Before he could offer his thanks though, Mia spoke.

_"Felix, I… I don't mean to be insulting…"_ She stuttered quietly, _"please don't get angry… but you seem so distant… so wrong."_

Felix sighed slightly, everyone, absolutely everyone, had told him the very same, _"I'm sorry… but I try to keep them in check. I just don't like to show them. I prefer to assess everything as a cold and perfect judgement."_

_"But… but that… it's so unnatural…"_ She whispered, _"It can't be healthy… I'm worried for y-"_

Mia's eyes went wide as his arms pulled her closer with such tenderness and ease. Her initial instincts were to push him away, to knock him off her, to stop him attacking her, and then storm off. She didn't though, she froze, torn between curiosity, comfort, and surprise, and fear, disgust, and memory. Her curiosity won this battle and she didn't resist, she wanted to see who Felix was, and if this was the way so be it. This all happened in the space of two seconds for, in the third, Felix rested his head down on her shoulder, breathing softly.

Mia was completely lost, invisible robes seemed to pull her closer to him and constrict her insides and her heartbeat raced frantically. The butterflies inside took off with furiously beating, joyous wings as Felix proved he could show emotion. Her arms slowly snaked their way up his body and came to rest around his back. She gladly inhaled the cool night air. She rested carefully against his shoulder. His hair was brushing against her face. She was afraid to move. She could feel her chest pounding furiously against his with the force of her heartbeat. This man could so easily do so much, and quite possibly with so little regard for anything. She had to believe though. Felix. Was. Good.

Felix pulled away from her, looking deeply into Mia's gleaming sapphire eyes, _"Thanks for caring."_ He said softly and calmly, _"Few try so hard with me."_

_"I just want to understand you." _Mia exhaled, slightly relieved, _"I've never met anyone like you. I didn't think someone could suffer so much and still be so hopeful."_

_"Not even you?"_ Felix said knowledgeably.

Mia went wide-eyed and tried to suppress the flood of emotion that was building inside, _"I… I don't really want to talk about that."_ She whispered hoarsely.

_"I understand. If you ever need me to I'll listen and help. Just like you've done for me."_

Mia giggled slightly, or might have had it been possible. She was grateful for his understanding and even his emotionless rationality that allowed for analysed judgement. Felix was nothing like how she had imagined him, nothing like the stories her friends had regaled her with. He was the quiet, removed person he had been made out to be, but he wasn't made of purely of that. There was love, understanding, care, and even with its coldness, knowledgeable guard. He was so much more.

Wasn't he?

Was he just acting this way with her? Isaac and Garet said he was fun when they were around but with anyone else, he was different. Was she different to him or was he different because she was alone with him?

She looked deep into his brown eyes and saw a gleam of something hidden behind them, something she hadn't seen in any other eyes. He was different, but it was a true difference, not something feigned or momentarily present. He had changed since the times from which the stories came.

Felix returned an odd look down to her. Odd was perhaps not the greatest word to describe what he presented, but it was all she could muster. It was peaceful and understanding, but still filled with determination and that ever so slight presence of darkness. She returned it with a smile and stood up. Felix watched curiously as she lay down on the grassy area within their small shelter that had been left undamaged by Felix's battle.

She was surprised when she felt his form beside her. She felt the kindling of small flames near her and turned to see him slowly bringing over the fire to keep her warm. She felt a need to talk to him, to tell him some secret, to try and open up and relate to him more. The problem was that she didn't want to reveal too much so early, she just wanted to break the silence.

_"We don't need to talk, Mia."_ Felix said to her as he eventually relocated their small fire.

_"How did… what?"_ She asked, wondering how he knew what she was thinking.

_"It looked like you were trying to say something. Don't worry I'm okay with silence, if you are of course."_ He lay down and looked to the sky as Mia nodded slightly to him.

She looked up and thought of something to say, but now it seemed redundant, _"Umm, Felix?"_

_"Hmm?"_

_"Uh… this might sound silly, but uh…"_ She stuttered, _"What do you think the stars are?"_

He raised his eyebrow at the question, it seemed so simple and childish, but he thought carefully of his answer, _"I don't know."_ He answered truthfully, _"I've heard different stories about them."_

_"Can I hear them?"_ Mia smiled.

_"I've been told various stories,"_ He started, his eyes closed as he saw the faces of the ones who had told him the very stories, _"I've been told they are a gift from the heavens, to guide sailors and give beauty to night. Or that they are remnants of civilisations from ancient times, when we had the power to reach the heavens. Or, they're simply, Psynergetic stones and dust sparkling in the sky."_

_"So, what do _you_ think they are?"_ Mia stressed on that point in particular.

_"Honestly,"_ He replied slowly, _"I have no idea."_

_"I was told they were souls."_ She said quietly, _"That after we die a star appears for us, that we are the stars, always there watching our friends and always able to be seen when you have gone." _

_"Interesting."_ He said quietly.

_"I love the night."_ Mia intoned casually, mellifluously, as though she were speaking to herself, _"The lights, the air, the moon, the stars… all of it. Sometimes, I think it's better than the day."_

Felix didn't ask why. He felt he didn't need to.

_"People always think that the day is full of colour and that the night is just black and evil. That's just a blind preconception built from stories of evil. People are blinded by preconception. They see what they have learned to see, so they don't actually see at all. The night's not evil, it's abused. If evil were associated with day it would be different. Night isn't black, you need to look. It's darker truly, but you need to acquaint yourself with it."_

Felix knew all too well what she meant.

_"After Alex left me in Imil, I used to spend entire nights just… looking. Dark, night, it's just that lasting remnant of light that holds such a splendid myriad of colours for those who want to see them. From the splashes of colour of twilight, to the darker hues of the day in the starlight until sunrise, it's amazing. That's why I love the night… especially the stars. You understand, don't you, Felix?"_

Felix smiled. Incredible. Absolutely incredible. Mia, a person, who, by all rights, would most commonly be associated with loving the day and light, shared Felix's fondness for the night. She even had such fantastic thoughts on it all.

_"Yes."_ He commented simply.

Silence settled on them, comfortable and easy. Neither had any desire to break it, because they felt there was no need. Mia lay silent, smiling to herself beside the fire, staring up at the countless shining souls amongst the sky. Felix ley silent contemplating all that was this girl, because, for the first time in quite a while, Felix was confused. This young woman, this Mia, followed him down to the plains. She had nothing more than a simple nightgown and cloak to protect her. She followed him with seemingly no fear of the wilderness, the dark, or of him.

She followed him and comforted him, despite all her previous discomfort, and fear, of him. She followed him and actually got him to open up in the space of a few minutes where so many others had failed over the past two years. She followed him, shared his opinions. She followed him to discover she didn't want him to be alone, she didn't want him to die, and she didn't want anything ill to befall Felix. Who was this girl, Mia?

A particularly cold breeze blew past her and, despite the fire, shelter and warmth provided by Felix, Mia couldn't help but shiver and wrap up tighter. Then, without warning, Felix was at her side with his arms around her, pulling her closer and warming her. He stayed dead silent and calm, while all her senses were working harder and faster than ever before. Every sound, every movement, every breath, everything was magnified and carefully scrutinised by her mind before it allowed her to do anything.

She shuffled closer to him, glad for the warmth and comfort he offered. She was confused. This evil man, this good man, Felix, was a mystery. He hid everything so well, carefully making sure not to reveal anything or say anything that could hurt or affect anyone. His eyes though, Mia had seen them and they presented emotion that his face did not allow. Even they hid so much, but Mia could still see the hurt in his eyes.

She smiled, deciding she would help him, and another blush began to grow on her cheeks. She shook slightly as he pulled her closer to his much warmer frame. Although by the sweat she currently felt it could be argued she was the warmer in the situation. She was a healer and sworn to her Mercury clan, her current position would have completely gone against everything she thought right when she still lived her peaceful life in Imil. Then she saw his hand, it slowly drifted up and eventually came to rest on her own in the grass, and, for whatever reason, Mia felt lightheaded. The butterflies in her stomach took off, lifting her from the ground where she lay. She flexed her fingers once, feeling them slide against his, and eventually Mia drifted off on the grass to peaceful, wonderful dreams.

Felix simply watched her sleep beneath the stars, admiring everything about her. He thought back to when he had first seen her, atop the Aerie of Mercury Lighthouse, just after its Beacon had been ignited, he had seen her but paid no attention, his mind was focused on other things at the time. Then he saw her again atop Venus Lighthouse, several months later, and properly saw her that time. Beside the bloody, tired warriors with whom she fought she stood out. She seemed like she didn't belong, a fighter in such a peaceful form didn't seem right. He remembered with a gentle shock, a mystery from back then. A scream that did not belong to any voice he knew. It must have been from Mia. Mia screamed after he dived. Not when Sheba fell. Not when the Lighthouse segmented. Not when Saturos and Menardi fell. No, she screamed when _he_ dived.

Now she was asleep in his arms, alone, on a cold, yet beautiful night. He smiled as he watched her breathe, and brushed strands of her cerulean hair out of her face. He took to admiring her beneath the stars for a time.

Before long though, Felix heard voices at his side. Fizz and Echo were beside them.

_"Hate to interrupt Master, but,"_ Echo started.

_"We really should return to the inn soon."_ Fizz finished.

_"You're right."_ Felix whispered, standing up smiling, careful not to wake Mia, _"Alright everyone we're heading back to the inn."_

The Djinn returned to them and Felix smiled at his makeshift cover from the winds and decided to leave it standing.

He gathered his belongings quietly and carefully removed his cloaks from Mia's shoulders. He quickly extinguished the fire and, when he was confident the embers could not spring back up, he went back to Mia's side.

_"Come on, Mia."_ He whispered as he bent down and picked her up off the ground.

She shuffled and groaned in his arms as she dreamed, but it always returned to her peaceful smile, assuring him that it was a pleasant dream.

He carefully and quietly made his way back through the inn, up the stairs and to her room. The door creaked and groaned loudly as he opened it, and much to his relief, the two other occupants of the room did not wake from their slumber. He lay Mia down on the empty bed and pulled the covers over her before quickly retreating to his own room.

* * *

_**Well, that's the first chapter. What did you think? I don't know about you but I thought it was pretty good. I do hope you liked it, and I do hope you can find the time to review, what's better than criticising someone after all?  
Anyway, I do recommend, you check out the fics I have mentioned, you'll not be disappointed.  
Well, until next time,  
Droory.**_


	2. In Questioning Thought

**_Greetings all again. So, second chapter of so very many. I want to thank you all in advance and hope that you enjoy this chapter.  
Before that though, a word of thanks to _**_Celestia's Paladin**, and **crazy reader**, for their reviews**_**_.  
This chapter may seem a bit iffy, but it's mainly an intro to the rest of the gang and a bit more.  
Anyway, without further delay, to the reading!_**

* * *

The next morning the eight Adepts sat around a table in the inn lobby eating, talking and catching up with each other. There was a definite divide between the two teams of Adepts, an uncomfortable air that wouldn't soon be lifted. They didn't know each other. They hadn't gone through the arduous ordeals that led to trust yet. They knew better than to trust blindly, they knew blind trust was foolish. They knew not to trust until it was earned.

Isaac, the resident Venus Adept and leader of the other team, sat as far from Felix as the table physically allowed. He did not look like the scarred warrior of battle, no, he was much more akin to the mantle of a hero, a champion. He refused to enter darkness like Felix had, even his physical appearance was much brighter than that of his rival. His spiky golden brown hair shone, the individual shoots of hair picking up every different shade of light it could.

His scarf, forever wrapped around his neck, originally a bright yellow, had dirtied to an earthen meld of yellows, greens, and browns. It told the story of battle for him, the one sullied, mature, feature he allowed to be seen. He refused to remove it, or wash it, allowing only rain to do that. It had been his father's.

His face told a different story. It was still soft, and smooth, very much like the handsome men girl's imagined to come on horseback to save them. He still looked so young and innocent. His eyes betrayed that though, within them there was hurt, betrayal, wisdom and battle. Behind the dazzling blue, to those who had come to know what it meant to be a friend through battle and travel, there was pain. The pain was of the past, when Felix had betrayed him and all that he knew.

Jenna, the Mars Adept of Felix's team, sat across from him. For any man, above the age of thirteen, she was, in every sense of the word, sexy. There was no other way to describe her unless you truly knew her. She was undoubtedly the most curvaceous and busty of the three girls in the group. She too had a toned physique, though it was not particularly muscular. Her body was not the most attractive feature of the young woman though, by no means.

Her face was where her true beauty lay. Surrounded by the fiery flame that was the locks of her crimson hair which burned to her waist, a dazzling face stunned any who saw it. Every facet of the visage was elegant and striking. She had full, luscious, lips, a softly curved nose, and such delicate skin one would think it may crack if it was so much as touched. Her eyes though, they were the most piercing feature of the young woman. They were a full wine-red at the centre of her irises, turning to a deep crimson at the edge of her pupils, and to a bright rose-pink at the very edge.

Of course all this beauty may have led many men to doom. Belying her incredibly feminine appearance, she was a tomboy and a fiery one at that. She had embraced that lifestyle from an early age, never liking wearing dresses or playing with the other girls, she much preferred the company of Isaac, Garet, and Felix's, above all else. Many might have seen her preference for male interaction as an open door, and that had been a grave mistake for many boys in Vale. It didn't take much to get on her wrong side and when there it didn't take long before you were on the receiving end of a firestorm. Those who were friends though were guarded by that very firestorm.

Piers, Felix's Mercury Adept, sat next to her, having been her closest confidant over the past months. He was more built than Felix and Isaac, but perhaps slightly less than Garet. He carried the natural air of a sailor, the confidence and salty air that had been worn into his life through the years. His hair carried the scent of the sea more than anything though. Every time he tossed his long teal hair the smell of salt and fresh fish quickly passed through the noses of those nearby.

Beneath that hair, he too carried an heirloom: a bandanna. It was a simple design: an aqua piece of fabric wrapped around the forehead and a long piece of the same fabric flowing from the ears down just past his shoulders. It was often hard to distinguish between his hair and that resident item of his head. His face was a handsome visage. It was confident and soothing. The curvature of his lips was forever in a small reassuring smile for his friends, making his cheeks forever noticeable.

His eyes, currently closed in silent relaxation, were a mystery though, completely. They were a bright topaz, streaked with gold. They were like a treasure of sorts to someone who was a sailor, fitting then. And of course, like his eyes, Piers was a mystery. To any who took a glance, or even a full day staring from across a room, he looked no older than twenty. Those who knew him though knew the truth, not the full one: Piers was older than everyone currently in the inn. Piers was older than anyone one on Weyard not from Lemuria. For there, life was not the norm it is in the rest of the world for it is far longer. The chances were that Piers had seen his one hundredth and fiftieth year, quite possibly his two hundredth. He did insist though, that no one treat him as an elder, he was, by Lemurian standards, as old as the others by normal standards. He insisted he was a child at heart, or so he claimed.

Ivan, the Jupiter Adept of Isaac's team, sat across from Piers. The boy's eyes moved curiously to each and every person currently at the table, wearing his constant boy grin. He was much smaller than every else at the table, save Sheba, even smaller than both Mia and Jenna. He had gained some muscle because of the quest, perhaps not as much as Isaac or Garet had, not a lot but one could see the definition of his body. He wasn't very strong physically, but he was fast and highly athletic, capable of jumping over Garet's entire height effortlessly.

He was young as well, very clearly young. He was still just a boy after all, seemingly incapable of maturing, so he did not seem to be on a quest to save the world. His hair was a blinding blonde, especially when the sun hit. It fell around his head in such an unkempt manner it almost seemed purposeful, yet tidy. Beneath that, he almost had a baby's face, full round cheeks and large bright eyes.

The eyes, they were what told you he was not a boy anymore though, not really. Within their shine of a deep purple, one could see the wisdom he had, the battle he had seen, and the atrocities of the world. He was massively wise though, he didn't let the darker aspects of the world get to him, he knew the world was not perfect, so he was still as close to being a boy as he could be.

He was an… interesting young man, if indeed interesting was the word to use. No matter what you did, you could not stay mad at him, regardless of what he had done. He had a way of getting to you, to keep you together and to keep everyone else with you. His naturally light-hearted personality just made everyone feel the same. It was an amazing ability really, most likely credited to his vast mental ability, the Jupiter adept's natural boon. He could do anything, absolutely anything, and, however he did it in his own personal way, he would diffuse the tension in every situation possible. He didn't like to see his friends hurting, so he did whatever he could for them.

Sheba, Felix's Jupiter Adept, sat next to Ivan, poking him in the side as she spoke. She too was interesting. She had the same stature as Ivan, perhaps an inch or two shorter, but was as toned as Ivan as well. She was the smallest of the group, and she was glue. One couldn't get rid of her, even if you sometimes wanted to, and she helped hold everyone together as well. They could all only imagine what was to happen now that the two _'glues'_ of their teams would be fighting side by side daily. She was a naturally bright and exuberant person, perhaps slightly odd considering her background as a desert princess.

Her small bright smile was horribly infectious, one couldn't help but smile in return, and her high pitched giggles, sometimes primed to shatter glass, were just as polluting as they forced laughter from everyone else as well. Simply having her in the nearest vicinity made one feel happier, she simply brought that air with her. She was by no means as feminine looking as the other two females of the group. She was considered, due to her size, the cute one. Indeed she was, to any who took a glance, and sometimes she did act cute to get her way. But her nature was not to be cute, she was more naturally suited to antics that were not cute, but fun and entertaining, however, the sheer size of her made it cute anyway. She much preferred mischief and espionage to acting the norm she was considered to be, because she had hated being what she was considered to be all her life.

She was cute though, and there was no way around it. Her hair was that of gold, controlled and perfect above her face. She was tan, much more so than some of the others. Regardless of her colour though, it did not hide the red cheeks of joy she often had. And amidst these colours were two emeralds of the greatest green as her eyes. They were dazzling to look at, almost like the jewels which represented their colour as you looked at them. They were very beautiful eyes.

Garet, Isaac's Mars Adept, was next to Piers, all of him amazingly. He was the heroic one, sometimes even more than Isaac. His build, tall, broad, and muscular, exuded a sense of safety, confidence, and reassurance, when one was around him. Fitting since he would one day be the mayor of Vale. Considering he was always in the company of Isaac this feeling of safety he exuded was greatly heightened. He would never let his friends be hurt, he would do whatever he could for them, never giving up, always doing everything to defend anyone he loved. He was a guard, a sentinel, for all, always risking himself before he would let another be hurt. Since he was somewhat of a comedian, he tried not to scold anyone and risk hypocrisy. Instead he left that duty to Isaac.

He was a child, despite the fact that he was currently one of the oldest Adepts at the table. He was immature more often than not, and when paired with Ivan this usually ended in excellent comedy or fantastic embarrassment, though that was not to say he was not mature. Sometimes he could have been considered the most mature, especially in his serious moments. So, in a way, just as Ivan and Sheba were the personality of the group, he was the heart.

His kind face told this. Indeed it could be said he was perhaps too different from the normal to seem kind in his face, but he was. The face above his broad shoulders, strong jaw, and beneath the extra foot of hair his spiky red hair provided, was flawlessly kind. His broad smile told you he cared, his relaxed demeanour helped this. Then his eyes of auburn, though perhaps more golden-brown at times, were naturally kind. If you looked into his eyes, you learned that he was someone who truly cared. Best of all, he could always make you laugh, make light of the situation, and seeing as he was usually helped by Ivan in this respect, it took no more than a few seconds for him to accomplish.

Mia, Isaac's resident Mercury Adept, was next to Garet. She was talking shyly to the man, who was loud and brash in contrast to her. Never-endingly she smiled a serene, peaceful, curve of the lips. It was not a full smile or a smirk or any variation of that, it was simply Mia's natural look. She always smiled that small smile and as she did, anyone who saw it was given peace and tranquillity. It was so easy and relaxing that it was impossible not to feel relaxed. It was helped, of course, by her wondrously compassionate sapphire eyes. She was naturally beautiful. It was so effortless and natural that she even seemed embarrassed by it. She didn't like fights of any form, silly squabbles or full blown arguments, or fighting for your life, she didn't like any of it. Mia far preferred the simplicity of tranquillity. She was, in every possible way, peace.

Kraden, the scholar of Alchemy, was beside Mia. He was old, somewhere in his eighty-eight year, and so had slightly dozed off every now and then after he had finished his breakfast meal. Garet awoke him every now and then, and as he awoke with a start he pushed his small round glasses up the bridge of his nose, looked around with grey eyes, smiled at everyone and participated in any conversations Garet involved him in. As he spoke, especially about subjects that interested him, he seemed far younger. The deep lines across his forehead were not so deep, his wrinkled mouth seemed to return to smooth youth, and his eyes brightened at the thoughts.

He was a somewhat typical 'old man', white hair and all. However, he was not going bald, quite the contrary, he seemed to be growing even more hair than in his youth. His hair long and white was all combed back, somewhat like a mane. This was made even more prominent as his beard joined with it around his ears. The whites fell from his chin in glorious tumbles of wisdom and stopped just short of his chest. He was fun to be around when he was in one of his _'ecstatic scholar moments'_ when he seemed like he was fifteen all over again.

Then… there was Felix at the end of the table. He was not an anti-social person as many may believe. He quite enjoyed the company of others, and he enjoyed talking and having fun with friends. He was confident and steadfast. He easily earned respect. He was a leader, in every sense of the word. Others would throw down their allegiances to others to follow him. He exuded confidence and ease readily. He was quick to decide, quick to act, quick to adapt, quick to respond, and quick to learn. He was a leader. He had earned everyone's respect and justly so. He was not a dark man at heart, even if he was technically the darkest looking Adept among the others.

Many facets of his appearance told the story, most notably his cloaks. The two he had, though he had worn the green when with Saturos and he hadn't needed to fight, were horribly torn and ripped. The green was ripped from Proxian abuse, the blue from his own on the world. He was tall, falling just short of Garet's height minus his hair, and very well built after his stay in Prox. The cold and darkness of Prox he carried with him always, refusing to forget, using it to drive him. He seemed to exude it.

Beneath the ebony screen that was his hair, his face was as equally cold and harsh as the wilds of the north. His eyes were almost always narrowed in some form of thought or reflection, always seeming to stem from Prox. Their deep chocolate tone was warm, odd considering all else, especially since their warm colour just seemed to stare a coldness into whatever he looked at. There were so many scars in the unique patterns of his irises, each something he kept with him through sheer force of will to remind him why he fought, to remind him _to_ fight.

At heart, wherever he had locked it away for the past five years, he was not as dark as he showed, however, for the quest, he had to be. That was the only way, after all. He played the role well. His eyes, the darkest of the group, were best suited to hiding the various conflicts he felt within himself playing this role. He didn't like it. He despised it. He loathed that fate had dealt him this hand. But he was more than ready to face it, as long as it meant saving the others from sharing his fate.

He had to save them.

Felix's eyes wandered to Mia, and a slight smile played upon his lips, barely noticeable, as he thought of last night. He thought of how her cerulean hair lightly danced in the breeze and how her bright sapphire blue eyes brought with them an unmistakeable feeling of peace.

_"You know, I had been wondering whether or not I imagined Mia leaving last night."_

The voice beside him broke Felix out of his reverie, and he turned around, expertly hiding his surprise, to see the mischievous smile of Sheba. When exactly had she moved away from Ivan's side?

_"Sheba?"_ Felix asked quietly, raising his eyebrow. He knew best how to deal with Sheba's plots.

_"So what did you get up to?"_ She urged quickly, wanting to know his secrets, _"C'mon, you can tell me."_ She quickly feigned a gasp, _"Did you kiss? Did you rock her world? You did, didn't you!?"_

One had to love her imagination.

_"Mia followed me down to the plains last night."_ He explained simply, _"She wanted to find out…"_ His mind searched for a word, _"what I was."_

_"Is that all?"_ She frowned, hoping for more of a scandal, _"Okay, well I don't entirely believe you, but that looks interesting."_ She giggled gesturing to Isaac and Jenna.

She laughed slightly and went to talk to Isaac and Jenna.

Felix smiled slightly, he knew Sheba. He knew she would return in due time with more questions. He knew she would also question Mia. He knew she would find some way to question both of them simultaneously when they were alone. She knew she would recruit someone to help her dig up these secrets. He had been truthful, more or less. He may have omitted a certain detail. And that was nothing anyway. It was just a hug. There was nothing that would entertain her scouting nature. He stood up quietly, no one seemed to notice, and quickly left the inn.

* * *

Mia looked around when Garet paused to eat, she smiled at the sight of new and old friends laughing, talking, and enjoying themselves. She knew this would not last for long. Soon they would depart for the frozen Northern Reaches and Mars Lighthouse.

Her mind wandered back to how she had come to be here, what if she had never met Isaac, Ivan and Garet and accompanied them on their chase of Felix? How different would her life be then? She had grown so much stronger than what she had been in Imil, wounds that would have been a difficult task back then seemed now easily healed. Of course there wouldn't be the constant fear and threat of death if she had stayed, but despite everything she was glad to be there.

She was glad to have met Isaac, Garet and Ivan and to have travelled with them for so long. She was glad they had caught up to Felix and settled all their differences. She was glad to have met him, Jenna, Sheba and Piers.

Despite all the danger, fear, anxiety and uncertainty that stalked their words, actions and every step they took, despite the troubles she had seen on her travels, despite the death and injury she had seen, she was glad to be there.

Her life had been changed forever, for the better? She wasn't sure, but that didn't matter, she didn't care. She was just happy to have met and to be with everyone. They were her friends, they would do everything they could for her and she would do the same in return. She beamed brightly and looked over the faces of the table, they quickly glanced at her and returned a small smile and a wave, and her eyes seemed to sparkle with joy.

Mia's smile quickly vanished however, when she noticed the absence of one member of their party: the long-haired Venus Adept. She glanced around the room and saw the end of a blue, one-shouldered cloak escaping through a door.

She frowned slightly, thoughtfully, _"Why would he leave?"_ She whispered.

_"Who? Felix? Ah don't worry 'bout him. He's always been like that, prefers some time to himself."_

The Mars Adept's loud, brash voice caused Mia to jump slightly. She turned to face Garet who was still stuffing his mouth with food.

_"Besides, why are you worried? You've only known him a day."_ Garet managed to speak between bites.

Mia smiled slightly realising the truth to his words. She had only known him a day, surely she didn't need to start helping him right away. He could take care of himself. Still though, Mia couldn't shake that feeling of needing to help him and that darker feeling like something bad was going to happen.

_"Well I suppose that's just who you are, Mia, always looking out for people."_ Garet had stopped eating at last and smiled at Mia.

She smiled back, slightly embarrassed at his words. That was Garet, always blunt and true, _"Thank you, Garet. But, I think I'll check on him anyway."_

_"Hey whatever you feel like."_ He shrugged and continued eating.

She smiled, nodded and left to find Felix. Before she got outside a voice called her back.

_"Mia!"_

Internally, Mia sighed. She wasn't keen on these delays. After all, Felix may be feeling hurt or worried… She turned with a small smile on her face to see Jenna and Isaac waving over to her. They smiled to her as she walked to their side.

_"Where are you going?"_ The dirt-blonde Venus Adept had posed the question, _"We need to be ready as soon as possible."_

_"Oh, I was just going out to see if Felix was alright. That's all, Isaac."_ She said trying to seem innocent.

_"I wouldn't worry about my brother, Mia, he's always like this."_ Jenna's eyes were absently drifting around as she twirled her crimson hair through her fingers, _"It's best to just leave him he usually comes back happy and sociable… well, to the extent that he can anyway."_

Isaac laughed lightly at this. Mia seemed to miss the joke.

_"Well, I'm still worried so if you don't mind, please excuse me." _She said as curtly as she could.

_"Mia, I know you mean well, just don't be shocked if Felix isn't… pleased with the disturbance."_ Isaac warned, his care revealing that he thought his words to be absolute truth.

_"Don't worry, Isaac."_

With that she left to find Felix.

* * *

Felix found the site of last night. The sheer fact that he came back to _here_ was strange. Chances are he would not have if not for last night. It was dangerous after all. Usually for his silent thoughts he would sit just beyond city gates, or a small distance from camp, not far out into the wilderness. Why he had gone so far last night was an exception, he preferred to think of a distance between himself, Isaac and Garet. He had betrayed his best friends' trust after all, they didn't like it, he didn't like it, and he certainly didn't like that they had agreed to help him. Couldn't they go home, to safety with everyone else?

He sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing with the fact now, it's how it was and nothing he said would make a difference, especially not alone as he was. So, he took to scanning the landscape for ambushers. His previous ambusher's limbs stuck up from beneath the earth, crushed and bloody. Glowing with powerful Psynergetic rings, he focused on returning the ground to its original flat surface once more. He reopened the earth as the beast tumbled down further into the depths of the world and sealed it together again.

He carefully reworked the earth beneath him to settle the cracks and breaks he had created. He smiled and placed his hand on the now soft ground beneath him, calling on the powers of his Djinn, he forced his Psynergy into the earth. Small tufts of grass appeared around his hand and several small blades grew in the landscape. He smiled and once again using his Psynergy to create a small, earthen, seat below the small earthen alcove. In a few days the land would be restored to what it had been, blooming with grasses, plants and flowers.

He leaned back and his mind worked on what was to come next. The short rest they had now would soon be followed by the journey to Prox and Mars Lighthouse. Fraught with danger and perils, they would be fighting ceaselessly for the next few weeks, fighting nature, monsters and, most importantly, the labyrinthine Mars Lighthouse.

He sighed aloud, none of them were strong enough for what was to come, true they had gained great prowess in their journey and their Psynergy had bolstered after their battles, but it still wasn't enough they would need to become a lot stronger, fast. His mind continually worked on how they would achieve their goals, but eventually his thoughts drifted to the eyes of a cerulean haired Mercury Adept.

_"Echo…"_

The Djinni materialised before him, _"Yes, Master Felix?"_

_"Tell me, Echo, what do you think of Mia?"_ He asked.

Echo was one of the few who had a great understanding of who Felix was. He trusted Echo. His judgement of Mia would serve as a ground to work from with her. He just hoped Echo was capable of giving him the answers he hoped for.

The Djinni tilted its upper body to the side, much the same as tilting its head, _"Well, Master, what do you mean?"_

_"I mean, what do you think of her?"_ Felix repeated, making him question his reasoning even more. What was he doing? Asking about Mia, what was the point of that? It was just last night that was all. She had gotten to him, actually cared. But then, Jenna, Sheba, and Piers had cared initially. Maybe she would give up as well. That would be best for her.

_"She's a powerful Adept, a strong healer and a-"_

Felix held up his hand to signal him to stop, _"No, Echo, what do you think of Mia as a person?"_ His thoughts continually screamed question at him.

_"Master, you should know it's more difficult for a Djinni to gauge such things. However, she seems to be a nice person, very peaceful, quiet, determined to help everyone,"_ He paused for a moment, _"…and I think she is fond of you, Master."_

Felix nodded slightly at his words.

_"But, she is a Mercury Clan's healer."_ Echo added, _"A cleric, a paragon. I think it best not to get your hopes to high."_

Felix narrowed his eyes at Echo's hope statement before choosing to ignore it as a Djinni's usual insanity, even if Echo was the sanest of his partners. He simply nodded, considering his advice. Mia was a paragon, someone dedicated to purity and helping others. Of course she was. How could she not be? His thoughts drifted back to last night momentarily. Mia seemed so embarrassed for him to try and make sure she was comfortable in the chill of the night, and she was beautiful in the glimmering starlight. And he had opened up to her. Why? Why had he done it? He wasn't even sure. He knew he was wrong, he knew he most likely put Mia's duties as healer and her thoughts into horrible conflict.

_"Sir Felix."_

He recognised that voice and slowly turned around to see the blue form of the Mercury Djinni, Fizz.

_"Fizz?"_ He asked sceptically, _"Why are you out here alone?"_

_"Miss Mia saw you leave, was worried, and sent me here to find you. Miss Mia is searching the town for you."_

Fizz's bubbled words intrigued him, the thought of Mia looking for him, worried, astounded him… or they would have had last night never occurred. Maybe he had doomed her to never-ending worry by telling her so much, _"Mia's looking for me? She's worried?"_ He said astounded.

_"Yes, Sir Felix, now if you will remain here I will return to Miss Mia and tell her where you are."_

* * *

_"Anyone else think it's weird that Mia's been gone so long?"_ Garet yawned pushing away yet another plate cleaned of food.

_"Yeah it's not like Mia."_ Ivan said quickly, breaking out of his trance with a loud clatter of cutlery, _"I bet she's lost."_ He smirked stupidly.

_"Nah you got it all wrong."_ Isaac smiled mischievously, _"She fancies him."_ He joked.

_"Mia?"_ Ivan and Garet said in simultaneous disbelief.

_"Felix?"_ Jenna added in an even more doubtful tone.

_"Ah, young love."_ Piers intoned comically as he leaned back on his chair, _"I do think she's attracted to him, on some level."_

_"Speaking of young,"_ Sheba smirked, _"how long's it been since you've been '_young_'?"_

_"Let's not do this again."_ He sighed and brushed his hand through his long ocean blue hair, pulling several strands out from his bandanna.

He had grown weary of Sheba's constant attempts to discover his true age. Ever since they had first left Lemuria together, he had been berated by constant jives and taunts considering his age from Sheba, and sometimes Jenna, as she tried to coax his age out of him. Thankfully he had managed to keep his mind in check and Sheba had been unable to read the truth from his thoughts.

_"Actually I'm interested in this,"_ Isaac chimed in, leaning closer, _"I know you prolong life by drinking your draught."_

_"Used to." _Piers corrected, _"Lemuria no longer makes the draught. We must drink the natural waters of Lemuria to hold off time."_

_"Wait!"_ Jenna interjected, _"All of us drank water there! Does that mean we've stopped ageing for a while?"_

Piers shook his head in response, _"The length of time you were there and the amount you drank may have delayed age by about two days max. You must drink it all your life for it to truly have an effect."_

_"Oh…"_ Jenna replied, seeming slightly disheartened, _"Well, what about you then?"_

_"I'll be ageing… slightly faster."_ He answered.

_"Meaning?"_ The group motioned for explanation.

_"I will not be ageing at the same rate as you all. As I have been drinking the waters all my life, long as it has been, dear Sheba,"_ He said, noticing Sheba's silly grin, _"it is likely mixed into my system, slowing my ageing, though not as much as if I still lived in Lemuria."_

_"Interesting."_ Isaac commented, _"So, it's these waters that prolong life?"_

_"Indeed. The draught was more potent, but we find no use for it since, apart from myself, no one leaves Lemuria. You may also be interested to know that time seems longer in Lemuria. Three days may seem like a few hours, but it is still three days, do not be fooled."_

_"Okay, thanks." _ Isaac nodded, _"But, back to my original point, thank you, Jenna,"_ He shot the source of the interruption a comical glare, _"as I don't want to seem disrespectful, how much of an elder are you in comparison to us, Piers? I assume you're far older."_

Piers nodded slightly, that much was obvious, but said nothing more as he did not want to pursue the conversation further. Sadly he knew the conversation would persist regardless of Isaac's intervention, Sheba would not let up for some time. He had considered divulging his age to her in secret several times, but something about her childish nature just nudged away his trust.

_"So, are you thousands of years old or something?"_ Garet frowned stupidly, not fully understanding the concept of age in Lemuria.

Piers simply turned to stare at Garet, even Sheba hadn't guessed above the age of a three hundred, but thousands? That was slightly insulting, but it wasn't meant as such, it was Garet, admittedly not the brightest Adept among them. However he more than made up for it with his heart and unwavering devotion to his friends.

_"Don't be stupid, Garet."_ Ivan quipped, _"He is… about… a hundred and eighty six."_

Piers made a mental note to be cautious around Ivan, the boy was wise and articulate, but he was just as childish and mischievous as Sheba. Plus he could read minds like Sheba, so he'd have to be more careful about his thoughts. He would be smarter with his approach to it, if he hounded the subject as fervently as Sheba had, but he may only use the attempt as a source of amusement. If he ever discovered his age he might simply become bored and find something new to occupy him.

_"Why?"_ Jenna asked furrowing her brow in confusion.

Ivan shrugged and tipped his head slightly, pretending to scrutinise Piers, _"He has that look."_ He alleged comically.

_"Fantastic logic."_ Jenna mocked with a tone rich in sarcasm.

_"Are we done?" _Piers asked, hoping for some relief. Nearly every day since he had departed Lemuria with Felix, Jenna and Sheba he had been dogged for the answers, sometimes it lasted no more than a question, others it could stretch into hours. He remembered, with a mental grimace, on one such instance where it had lasted the entire day of travel, filled with constant questions from both Sheba and Jenna.

Thankfully, Isaac decided to be gracious and take charge.

_"Okay, everyone,"_ Isaac said sternly, _"I'm sure Felix will want us to leave as soon as possible, so go get ready. I'm gonna go look for those two. Be ready by the time I'm back."_

_"You got it."_ Garet yawned and stretched out wide as he stood up, physically the strongest and standing head and shoulders above everyone but Piers, perhaps his only physical rival. He slowly ambled up the stairs to the rooms.

_"After you, madam."_ Ivan bowed down low, allowing Sheba to pass. Childish and witty as always no matter whom he spoke to.

_"Oh, thank you, kind sir."_ Sheba curtseyed in the same playful manner and ran past him up the stairs. Ivan followed behind at the same pace.

Jenna yawned and tied her hair back in a ponytail as she slowly ascended the narrow staircase, cursing as she smacked her elbow against the doorframe. Isaac sighed slightly, knowing she would be in a bad mood for a while now.

_"Let's go."_ Piers smiled to Isaac, walking to his side.

_"You have everything ready for when we leave?"_ Isaac asked quickly, not wanting to waste any time.

_"Of course."_ Piers nodded.

Isaac returned it and quickly led the way out into town. They were forced to stand strong against an oddly powerful gust that blew through the town, strong enough to knock lighter people off their feet.

_"Jupiter's Beacon is having more of an effect than I would have thought."_ Piers reasoned looking off to the tall purple Lighthouse in the distance.

_"We'll have to hurry then."_ Isaac grumbled, not wanting to fail their quest because of wasting time.

They walked to the Anemos Crater which overlooked the town. Ancient stories surrounding this crater were dubious at best. Apparently the Anemos, an advanced society of Jupiter Adepts during the time of Alchemy, had their city there. They had mastered the many techniques of the wind, including the ability to construct portable flying devices for man to wear. When the time came for Alchemy's seal, the Anemos grew fearful of what would happen to them and used there Psynergy to lift there city to the heavens, and settled on the moon. All Jupiter Adepts, the scarcest breed of Adept in the world, are believed to be descended from the Anemos.

_"See them?"_ Isaac asked simply, holding his hands around his eyes.

_"I'm afraid not. Perhaps they… Wait, there!"_ He yelled pointing to a streak of blue hurtling towards them.

They prepared themselves for battle as the light swirled in front of them. Then Fizz stood before them.

_"Sir Isaac, Sir Piers. Miss Mia needs you down on the plains. Please hurry, it is urgent."_ Fizz said frantically.

_"Isaac, get the others. Chill," _Piers' Djinni materialised before him, _"guide Isaac and the others to me when they're ready. Let's go."_ He said chasing the blue stream of light down to the plains, his hair and bandanna flying behind him in swirls of blue rivalling that of the Djinni.

Isaac and Chill ran back to the inn to rouse everyone, Fizz wouldn't have been that agitated if it wasn't serious. And if Mia had left to find Felix… he forced the thought away from his head. Felix wouldn't hurt Mia. He damn well better not have. If he had, he was going to pay, both Isaac and Garet would be sure of that.

* * *

Mia followed Fizz to the plains where she had been with Felix, singing calmly, content with the idea of just being with him. She saw him and his small Djinni a short walk from her position on top of the hill. She smiled wider and walked closer. They hadn't yet noticed her.

_"I fear the same."_ Felix's voice came.

_"I believed it to be a happy thing amongst humans, Master."_ Echo's voice replied.

_"Usually. But, I can't."_

_"Hi."_ Mia said innocently.

The two turned to her quickly, masking something. Felix's eyes focused entirely onto her, shocking her into a feared stillness. Echo's orbs bounced back and forth between the healer and the warrior.

_"What's wrong?"_ She asked quickly, worried she had disturbed something.

_"Nothing important."_ Felix answered politely as Echo swirled back to him, _"Are you okay?"_

She nodded and smiled wider. A silence fell on them. Felix, not being a conversationalist, watched Mia for the time. She looked back innocently, getting lost in his incredibly deep brown eyes. Those very same eyes that had shown her so much. They had scared her at first, but now that she looked into them…

_"Mia?"_ Felix asked.

His voice broke her amazement. He was staring at her quizzically, his head cocked slightly to the side. She shook herself mentally, trying to regain herself. Why did he always make her lose sight of everything?

_"Hmm? Oh, uh, sorry."_

_"Why are you down here?"_ He probed.

Mia shrugged, pursing her lips as she thought for a moment, _"Why'd you leave? No one seems to care either. Why? That just confuses me... I mean, it seems like even your sister doesn't care if there's something wrong."_

_"It's not that. They all know I like to have some time alone. To think."_ He answered, _"I usually spend a lot of time alone anyway. The others are relatively used to me walking off without announcing it."_

_"I'm sorry."_ She spoke up tenderly, _"Don't you ever get lonely?"_

Felix shrugged, _"I wouldn't know."_

_"How can you not know?"_ Mia asked. The very thought of not knowing if one was lonely or not seemed impossible. That's why she was so shocked by his answer.

_"After how long I spent alone it's hard to tell."_ He responded plainly.

_"I'm sorry…"_ She repeated, feeling a ridiculous amount of remorse for him. She searched through all she knew, hoping to find some way to make him feel, to make her feel, not lonely, even if he didn't know it, _"Uh… I… do you want a hug?"_

Felix raised a curious eyebrow at her words. To her joy a small smile of amusement grew on his lips. He had smiled again. It seemed so odd… somewhat magical in a way. It was a slight curve of light in the darkness. Kind of like the moon in its beginning or ending.

_"Sure. Sounds nice."_ He stood up and walked over to her.

As much as she wanted to hug him, she felt like she had ruined it by asking. Her embarrassment prevented movement. He stood in front of her, looking down kindly. Unable to respond to his sudden tug as she was pulled into his chest, her insides simply jumped. He was warm.

Eventually her body was capable of movement and her arms, slowly and gently, moved to his back. No sooner his hand moved away pushing back locks of her hair. Had she done something wrong?

_"Mia,"_ He whispered softly, _"have you got your weapon?"_

_"Huh?"_

_"We're surrounded. There are about eight wyverns."_

She opened her eyes suddenly. She could make out two grey wyverns baring their teeth at them. This may have been why he accepted the hug offer in the first place she thought.

_"Oh…"_ She responded through a breath, _"Yeah, I'm all set."_

_"Alright, three seconds after I attack, you start, got it?"_ He said decisively.

_"Mm-hmm."_ His level-headedness was much more encouraging than Isaac's battle approach. She didn't dare uestion why she had to wait. He just seemed so right about it all.

She felt his Psynergy course through him. She was waiting for the attack. The earth trembled suddenly and the screeches of the monsters began.

He broke away from her suddenly.

One…

She heard slashing and clawing.

Two…

She felt monsters drawing closer to her.

Three…

She opened her eyes to the sight of wyverns bearing down on her. Her Psynergy responded instinctively firing jets of froth at the monsters before she retreated to a suitable distance. Three of the wyverns were already down in a heap amongst their own gore. Felix was swinging his blade as he drove the wyverns toward his active Psynergy. She shook herself, bringing her focus back to the two wyverns that were after her. Their power was of Jupiter, she had fought them in the Lighthouse, and they were strong. Her element was not particularly powerful against it. Felix had the upper-hand, but a downfall, his was powerful against theirs and theirs was powerful against his.

She raised her elegant staff above her head, imbuing it with her Psynergy. She swung at the closest of the wyverns, contacting its wing with a spray of water. The beast recoiled in pain, falling to the ground for the moment. The other was still flying around her. She tightened her eyes in focus and, raising her hand to the sky, a hail of diamond-ice rained around her.

She opened her eyes as a shriek rang out. The wyvern had several shards protruding from its grey flesh along with several rips through its wings. She swung her staff upward, catching the wyvern beneath the jaw and knocking it onto its back. As it writhed in an attempt to regain itself she cracked its neck with another Psynergetic blow from her staff.

She took a quick glance around, her earlier attacker was clawing toward her and Felix had felled another wyvern. She focused a spray of froth at her attacker, gasping as it dodged around it with ease. Her scream split the air as it sank its teeth into leg. She felt its jaw tighten as bile-tipped teeth dug deeper. She swung desperately at its vice-like grip. It yielded nothing.

Then from nowhere a spire of earth shot through the wyvern's torso, ripping it from her leg. Its jaw had loosened slightly in pain before it was torn away from its bloody feast, so her flesh was saved. She crouched down, pouring her Psynergy into her leg, extracting the bile from her bloodstream.

_"Mia!"_

She looked up suddenly. There was only one wyvern left and it had decided that Felix was too strong for it. A twin stream of lightning was sparking through the air toward her. She focused her Psynergy to protect her, knowing that it would only lessen the brunt of the attack. Then something spun through the air and over her crouched figure.

She watched it spin through the air, staggering as fast as she could in horror to where it crashed into the ground. She heard a screech and turned to find the wyvern impaled upon many protruding spires of earth. Felix's Psynergetic trap, she reasoned.

She heard a short, ragged laugh behind her, _"Got him…"_

_"NO!"_ Mia screamed and ran to his side.

She fell to her knees beside him, her robes becoming damp with blood. She ignored the pain in her leg, and turned him onto his back. She was horrified by the state he had been left in by the attack. The lightning had broken through his Psynergy shield, burned through his clothing and bored a hole into his chest. He appeared to have been bitten and clawed in several places as well. Electricity crackled through his body, emanating from the epicentre of the wound.

_"Oh, no… Felix…no…"_

Felix managed to turn his head slightly, and lifted his bloody hand to Mia's face. She held it to her cheek, her sapphire eyes welling with tears.

_"Felix…"_ She whispered horrified.

He grinned, _"You okay?"_

She nodded through tears as her Psynergy flowed into the wound.

He moved a bloody finger across her cheek, wiping a tear away, replacing it with blood. She held the hand tighter to her.

_"Good…"_ He whispered as his hand dropped with a thud to the ground.

_"FELIX!"_ She screamed, tears freely flowing from her eyes.

Her Psynergy flared suddenly, responding to emotion, and she forced whatever poison she could from his wounds while she did what she could for the wound in his chest.

_"FIZZ!"_ She screamed, _"Get help! Hurry!"_

She felt her Psynergy weaken slightly as Fizz left her, but focused entirely upon trying to keep Felix stable and alive. She sat beside him, her robes darkened by his lifeblood, using her powers to try and heal Felix's wounds. She sat beside him for what seemed like a hellish eternity, her Psynergy flowing continuously into his broken body. She could feel the poison from the wyvern flowing through her veins. Her mind told her to ignore Felix and heal herself or she would be no use. After a while she could feel her Psynergy reaching its limits but she never stopped, she refused to let him die. Eventually the constant drain took its toll and she passed out beside him in his pool of crimson.

* * *

_**Sudden? I know, but hey, remember this did start as a oneshot and as it developed I found it hard to edit this out, so I simply changed it a good bit. Anyway, don't worry about it. Thankfully the next few chapters are better.  
This chapter was just to test out my descriptive ability and work on several theories behind the ol' Lemurian lifespan, as well as have some Mia/Felix stuff... and in case you're wondering why Mia only got a single paragraph of description she had her very own last chapter, remember?  
So, thanks for reading, and if you can I would like you to drop me a review, if you would be so kind. (Who knows? You might actually inspire me to completely edit this injury scene)  
Well, that should be that for now,  
Your friend and writer,  
Droory.**_


	3. Disturb The Mind

**_Nice to see you again... or something. Anyway, next chapter, woo! Getting there slowly!  
Well, as per usual, thanks in advance for reading this and a special thanks to:  
_**_crazy reader, Celestia's Paladin, Bonar, Noel the mermaid, __**and,**__ TrippyToastersAndABagOfChips   
__**for taking the time to review.  
Well, then, let's get to it!**_

* * *

Isaac's immediate thought was one of speed. Sheba's hurried frantic call spurred him from Jenna faster than he had meant to. Jenna was in tears and he had bolted, he felt slightly heartless, but there were more important things. High pitched screams came into earshot at the foot of the stairs and that only served to lighten his feet through the air. Sheba stood beckoning frantically at the door to her room. Isaac darted in.

Mia was writhing in her bed, glass shattering, emotional screams echoing from her. He was at her side trying to hold her still and calm her unsure of whether her screams came from dreams or reality. He quickly assessed that she was in fact awake, a good sign, the only one they had had so far.

_"Mia, please stop, MIA!"_ They roared over her screams for Felix.

Isaac shook his head desperately and motioned for Sheba to do what she could. Sheba glowed with Psynergy, and Mia drifted back into the realm of night.

_"It's not easy on her."_ Isaac breathed a heavy sigh, answering Sheba's frown, after hours without any good news he had rather lost his patience and hope, _"She's still completely drained of her Psynergy, and Piers can't help restore any lost blood."_

_"At least she seems to be healing, not well, but it's something. More than we can say for Felix."_ Sheba sighed just as laboured, _"I'll stay with her, you go back to him… at least you can help heal him in some way."_

_"Alright, but if she wakes up again just try to calm her down, I'll be back soon to check on her."_

Isaac left Sheba in the room with Mia.

Sheba's pulse began to quicken as she thought of what Mia must have been through, she couldn't even imagine it. She had been horrified after arriving on the scene with the rest, seeing Mia passed out beside Felix, his chest torn open, blood staining everything that surrounded them, electricity burning crackled paths along his body, she could barely handle it… but Mia was alone, sitting in that pool of blood, trying to save him.

_"I wanna help too…"_

And with that she reached out toward Mia and read her mind, her dreams.

Sheba stood beside Mia in an unfamiliar location. Mia was down beside Felix's broken form, weeping uncontrollably, trying to heal him.

Her eyes adjusted to the scene and she saw they were on the edge of a rocky outcropping above nothingness, the sky a deep red streaked with black. Horrible tremors rocked around them, splitting the land. Lightning sparked and shot around her, black as night, bringing a darkening blinding with each bolt. Thunder rang out, ringing through her mind, almost deafening, never ceasing. Fires and magma shot up from all around, burning and melting everything it touched. Fierce gale storms ferociously blew around, Sheba although not truly present in the dream, could almost feel them, powerful enough to send anything tumbling into the expansive darkness.

Sheba gripped her head tightly, trying to keep her grip on reality in the hellish nightmare she had brought herself into. This was enough to bring her to madness she couldn't imagine how Mia was coping.

She looked down behind Mia and saw many disgusting monsters clawing their way toward them, hungry for flesh. Mia was constantly whirling around, her cerulean hair flying behind her, to cast powerful ice showers to repel the monsters. She formed walls of ice, forced mighty torrents of water down the ground, but to no avail. The monsters smashed through the ice and quickly charged through the water, growing in size and tenacity with each passing moment.

Eventually, she cast her Psynergy to repel the monsters and protect Felix once more, when a tremor struck them, stronger than anything else, and broke the cliff in two, Felix's limp form, along with many monsters and boulders, were thrown from the cliff; into the expanse of nothing below.

Mia screamed over and over, a scream that would scar Sheba's memories, as she looked for Felix below her. Finally she gave up and sat upon a lone pillar of rock, separated from the cliff with the last tremor. She sat and wept on this rock, awash with Felix's blood, and she screamed and pleaded for him.

Then all vanished into nothing, Mia collapsed amidst darkness, then the scene flashed and changed. She was back atop the cliff, the monsters clawed their way toward them once more but now it was different. Felix stood strong staring down, readying himself for the coming onslaught. A barrier of light separated Mia from him she banged on the barrier and screamed for him, telling him to run. Felix turned to her, a saddening smile and remorse filled eyes on his face. He turned back to the monsters and drew his blade.

She cried and screamed as she watched him fight the beasts, trying to use her Psynergy to help him, but nothing permeated the barrier.

Then Felix fell to the monsters, being torn by their claws and fangs. Then the barrier vanished and the beasts turned their attention to Mia. She tried to fight through them to get to Felix, being clawed and slashed as she tried. She reached his bloody, mangled form, and tried to heal him, not caring of the bloodthirsty monsters closing in around her. The monsters lunged and she fell to them as they feasted on the Adepts.

The scene then flashed and changed again, Sheba wrenched herself from the dream, not capable of enduring another hellish nightmare.

_"Oh, no, Mia, I'm sorry I put you back there." _She was on the verge of tears, _"Don't worry I'll get you out of there… it'll be okay…"_

Sheba undid her spell and Mia's eyes flew open. She screamed over and over just as she had in the dream, with no bearing on reality

Sheba tried to calm her, _"Mia, Mia, please, please, stop, you're safe, Felix is okay, please, Mia, stop."_ Sheba was crying, pleading with Mia, but to no avail, _"Mia, I…I'm sorry, Mia…"_ Sheba used her powers again and put her back into the horrors of her nightmare, _"I'm sorry, Mia…"_

* * *

Piers had been wise in his decisions, everyone knew it if not for him the two Adepts would surely be long dead. He had been working non-stop to ensure Felix's survival and had been smart to not attempt to actually heal him, but rather keep his situation stable. The signs of fatigue and weariness were now clearly evident in the Lemurian's form, despite the lack of full Psynergetic use on his part. His drooping posture, fast breathing, shaking legs, restlessly twitching fingers, and the sweat pouring from his body as he taxed himself showed his ever growing weariness. Occasional jolts hit him as he nearly drifted away into sleep. His eyes, though intently focused, bore the signs more plainly than anything else, behind the intensity in them the exhaustion and weakness shone bright, a beacon of worry.

Healing was no easy task, it was a curious thing to Piers. He had never had to access this facet of his Psynergy while in Lemuria, but since leaving there it had been a near every day occurrence. It was never the same, unless by some marvellous coincidence someone was injured in the exact same way in the exact same place by the exact same enemy, it was always a new experience, something different to delve into. He was no healer for sure, but it greatly intrigued him.

Currently, he was struggling. Being mentally within Felix's body in its state was a stressful ordeal. He travelled through his blood, finding torn flesh, ripped tendons, broken bones, and the constant array of electrical disturbance that still crackled from the hole in his chest. He could see it all, as clear to him as if he was walking through Felix's body trying to manually sew together and recreate anything that was lost. At this stage, it was a losing battle. He had resigned to keeping what was intact that way, and tried his best to prevent anything from getting any worse.

Isaac returned to the room looking slightly tired, _"How is he?"_ He asked taking a seat on the bed beside him. He picked a glass off the table and poured Piers some water, which he gratefully accepted.

Piers let out a small breath as he drank the water, _"Not well, I can only do so much. Jenna's been trying to see him, but I think it's best if she doesn't. You know, she's lucky really, if she had seen him when we first found him, I don't think she'd be able to cope. She has been through an awful lot when it comes to family. You did right when you kept her away, Isaac."_

Isaac thought of how she was screaming and trying to run to the body of her brother when they found him. Screaming at Isaac to let her see him, but he knew if she saw him it would destroy her. He had to keep her back. He hated himself, he held Jenna back obscuring her sight as Piers and Garet carefully carried Felix back to the inn while Ivan and Sheba carried Mia. She screamed and kicked and punched but Isaac remained, hating himself all the while, his black-eye and bruised body had been the evidence of how much she loved her brother.

_"Can I help?"_

_"I'm sorry, Isaac, no, I'm being drained just trying to keep him alive, I'm amazed Mia could hold onto him. If we could get her to come to her senses, Mia and I could heal him… to an extent… the rest, well we'd just have to wait and see."_ The yellow eyed Lemurian returned his gaze to the hole in Felix's chest, along the series of cuts and bruises which accompanied it.

_"You know the problem with that. She's traumatised and the Psynergy drain has only made it worse."_ Isaac truly was exasperated with the situation.

It was the first time he had been unable to think of any way to help at all. Even Contigo's healer was completely unable to help, conceding that Piers would do a much better job than he ever could. Isaac had asked Kraden earlier if he could help either Felix or Mia. Kraden had tried to stitch the cuts covering Felix's body, but the venom contained within made it risky and he had lost a lot of skin and flesh along the major wound in his chest making it impossible to stitch close and even that coursed with constant sparks of lightning. They had applied several healing salves and potions to the wounds and administered several different antidotes, but the damage was quite severe and made little difference. Kraden said he might know something to remedy Mia's hysteria but he didn't have the supplies, Mia had some in her bag and now he and Ivan were out searching for the other ingredients.

_"Let's hope Kraden can do something for Mia then…"_

Piers nodded in agreement and Isaac noticed the silvery rings crackle, only slightly, but that was enough to cause worry. He was amazed that Piers had held out for as long as he had, most likely because he wasn't focusing on healing but rather concentrating on keeping Felix's condition from deteriorating. Isaac dug through the pockets and pouches he had searching for what would help.

_"Piers, here."_ He handed Piers a small vial of potion.

Piers let out a grateful breath as he drank the grimy, slime-like substance of the regenerative panacea, _"Thank you, Isaac."_ Piers' Psynergy seemed glow stronger, even though the potion offered no such benefit. Nonetheless, Isaac was relieved to see that Piers' fatigue had faded somewhat.

_"You think you can hold out for long?"_ He asked moving close and looking down into the wounds adorning Felix's body.

_"Yes, do not worry, Isaac. I should be able to last for the rest of the day." _He pursed his lips in thought for a moment_, "If everything works out…"_

_"Alright, try not to strain yourself to much. I'll be back after I check on Jenna."_

_"She'll be glad to see you…"_ Piers said in his calm tone.

Isaac nodded to him, _"Hang in there…"_ He said strongly, talking not just to Piers but the friend he had lost for years as well, and left.

_"Isaac ta'iras aki'me ve'u'Ar'de, Felix-kumi." (Isaac's a true friend, Felix.) _

* * *

Jenna's face and demeanour projected a clear view of what had occupied her time over the past hours. Tear streaked cheeks bore the stains from the very first moment they had discovered Felix and Mia. Her voice had grown hoarse from the constant wailing and sobbing that she couldn't, despite her and everyone else's best efforts, control. They continually flowed akin to her tears, growing more and more painful with each one sometimes causing an asthma-like attack preventing her from breathing. She had refused to eat and drink and was growing weaker and severely dehydrated with each passing moment. Everyone had tried their best with her, to cheer her up, to assure her it would be alright, to get her to eat, or at the very least get her to sleep soundly. Garet and Isaac had been her main outlets for releasing her emotions and they were more than prepared to handle it.

_"I just don't know what to do… I-If I lo-lose Felix as well then I'll…be all alone…"_ Jenna cried into Garet's chest as he hugged her.

Garet sighed internally, she had been '_all alone_' before, years ago after the horrible storm that had struck Vale and washed away her family and Felix. Garet and Isaac had dealt with a very similar situation to the current one as result and that had taken weeks to calm her down and even longer for her to come to accept it.

He knew now that if Felix didn't make it she would never recover. He forced the very thought from his head, Felix was stronger than all of them, if anyone could pull through this it would be Felix.

_"Shhh, don't worry, Jenna. You won't lose Felix and you'll never be alone, don't worry." _Garet was slightly at a loss for what to do; he was never good at consoling people that were this far along. So, he just sat there holding her gently, _"You'll always have your friends who love you."_

_"P-Promise me, Garet. Promise me he-he'll be o-o-okay. Promise me he won't l-le-leave me again."_ She choked out and coughed.

He couldn't promise that, he never made promises he might not be able to keep, no matter the reason, and this one he most assuredly could not influence, _"Shhh don't worry. Felix will be okay, you'll see. You won't be left alone, trust me."_

She continuously sobbed in his arms. He just sat with her stroking her crimson hair. She rocked back in forth in his arms, crying uncontrollably. She had lost Felix before, and she couldn't bear to lose him again, she couldn't take it. Isaac ran down the stairs and was stricken with a despairing hopelessness when he saw Jenna in Garet's arms. She was no better than earlier, she was getting worse with every moment just like her brother.

_"Jenna…"_ He breathed, walking closer holding his arms wide.

Jenna slowly turned around, tears streaming down her face, _"Isaac!"_

She ran over to him and flung her arms around him, still crying. She pulled him closer and closer, crushing his chest and constricting his airways, she was surprisingly strong considering the situation, and Isaac couldn't help but admire that in some way. He softly embraced her in his arms and resisted the urge to make any noise from his increasing discomfort as she squeezed him ever closer. She sobbed into his chest staining his tunic with salty tears which flowed freely from her eyes.

_"Isaac, is my brother… is he… he…"_

_"Jenna… Felix is fine. He's recovering steadily. He'll be fine in a few days."_ He couldn't stand lying to her. He knew that if Mia didn't recover, Felix wouldn't survive. But he couldn't tell her that. He couldn't.

_"R-Re-Really, my brother's o-okay? Can I… can I see him?"_ She was calming down now, almost smiling with relief, and her sobs weren't as frequent, but tears were still coming.

_"He's okay, Jenna. But you can't see him. I'm sorry, but you can't."_

Jenna pulled Isaac's arms away from her and stood back from him, confusion, shock and anger coursing over her face, _"W-what do you mean I c-c-can't see him!? He's my Brother!"_

Isaac felt horrible, seeing Jenna like this. She had been like this since they first found Felix. She had repeated the same fears, worries and questions. Isaac could only answer with the same excuses as he stalled for time. Only once had he seen her like this: almost five years ago when she lost her family.

_"He's still very weak, and hasn't regained consciousness. And I don't think you'd like what you saw, he's still in very bad shape."_

_"B-but you said he was recovering…"_ She coughed, her throat growing dryer and more painful.

_"He is, Jenna, just very slowly. Piers can only do so much. You'll… be able to see him tomorrow, I promise…"_ He smiled in a desperate attempt.

_"Jenna, it would be best to leave him for now,"_ Garet said from behind, _"It would do no good for either of you to see him."_

_"Yeah, c'mon, Jenna, let's go back to your room, you should get some rest."_ Isaac said taking her hand in his.

_"A-a-al-alright…"_ She sobbed quietly.

Jenna continued crying on the way back up the stairs and down the hall to her room. Mia was still asleep in the room, with a look of pain on her face, but Sheba was nowhere in sight.

_"Where's Sheba gone? She's supposed to be watching over Mia."_

Isaac looked around the room, puzzled. He looked to Garet who shrugged slightly. They brought Jenna over to her bed, and she got under the covers.

_"Alright, Jenna, try to get some sleep. We'll be back soon, we promise."_ Garet said softly.

She nodded slightly and closed her eyes. Tears still ran from their corners as she sobbed.

_"Rest well, Jenna…"_ Isaac whispered and kissed her on the forehead.

They left the two Adepts to rest.

She curled her legs closer to her body and cried. Her thoughts filled with the worst possible images for Felix. A choked cough escaped her as she tried to fight the images away, but they continued, worse and worse images flowing past her mind's eye. Isaac turned back one last time to look at Jenna before leaving the room. He was glad they had at least coaxed her into attempting to sleep. It eased his worries slightly perhaps they were finally getting somewhere. He closed his eyes and sighed, this situation was nothing compared to what would happen if Felix didn't survive. Not only would she be lost in despair, but Isaac feared she might blame them and resent them for it.

_"Alright, Garet, we need to find Sheba."_ Isaac ordered decisively, _"I'll search the town, ask the locals. You check outside of town. We'll meet back here in half an hour."_

_"You got it, Isaac."_

The two searched the inn. The only occupant of their room was Piers, completely focused on sustaining Felix's life. Kraden's room, amongst the clutter of books and charts, was devoid of any sign of life. No one but the waitress and barkeeper, waited downstairs in the inn. Garet and Isaac gave each other quick determined nods and left to search the town and its outskirts.

* * *

Piers seemed so strong and resilient. Starkly contrasting the Psynergetically hidden Adept who's tears dripped silent to all else, but echoed with a great crash to her. She was amazed at his determination, despite his weakened, exhausted state, he didn't give up, he didn't quit, and he didn't run. She wished she could be more like him, but she was too afraid, it was her fault Mia was back in her hell. She had put her back there. She took a deep breath, wiped the tears from her cheeks and eyes, undid the Cloak and stepped out from the shadows.

_"Nice of you to finally show yourself, Sheba."_ Piers smiled kindly.

_"You…You knew I was there?"_ Sheba asked shocked.

Piers nodded and gestured to the small pool of tears that had formed on the floor. Sheba had a feeling that Piers had known she was there from the very moment she entered the room, the tears just made it obvious.

_"Well, why didn't you call out to me?"_ She sniffed and rubbed her eyes.

_"You were trying to hide away. I assume you had your reasons. I figured you would reveal yourself when you felt you were ready."_

_"Yes…yes I suppose I did."_ She felt bad having asked the question, Piers was doing everything he could for Felix. Did she expect him to help her as well? To sit her down and listen to what she had to say? She didn't like the thought, but maybe it was truly how she felt, she wasn't sure. She felt so selfish, she always prided herself on her ability to help friends and those in need, but now she was willing to forgo all of that for a chance for Piers to help her.

_"So, tell me Sheba, what was wrong?"_ He inquired, never lifting his gaze from Felix.

_"It's Mia…"_ Sheba started slowly. She wasn't sure if telling Piers anything would help. What if just made things worse? But she felt he could help in some way, _"I… I just can't believe she's going through something so cruel."_

Piers raised an eyebrow in question.

_"In… in her dreams… Mia's just tormented. She keeps trying to save Felix, but she keeps failing. Every time it gets worse and worse."_

Sheba wretched at the memory of Mia's nightmare, and the she hated herself for having left Mia there. She always thought that she was a good friend to people and no matter what would stick by them. This was the first time she had ever run away and left a friend alone. Although she had never really had any friends before starting this quest, even if it was originally against her will, she still felt horrible.

_"And you can't believe that one person would suffer such a punishment, let alone survive it?"_

Sheba nodded slightly; sometimes it seemed Piers was more of a Jupiter Adept than her. He was so wise and understanding, even more so than Kraden who was sometimes easily confused, he always remained calm and controlled. She wondered if that was her problem, perhaps she simply wasn't serious enough. Maybe it was time for her to straighten up.

_"You shouldn't worry, Sheba. Mia is stronger than she looks, she'll make it."_ He said reassuringly, _"But, that's not what's really bothering you, is it?"_

Sheba looked at Piers, wide-eyed, _"How… how did you know?"_

_"Let's call it a hunch."_

She stared at him and for the first time he looked up, his yellow eyes looking deep into her green, soothing her, _"I was the one who put Mia back to sleep after she first woke up…"_ She whispered.

_"And you feel responsible for what she's going through right now?"_

Sheba nodded again.

_"I see, well, I think the best thing for you to do is go back to her, sit by her side, talk to her, try and soothe her. Who knows, it might just help."_

_"I…uh… Okay."_ She sighed, insistent upon righting her wrongs, _"I'll do what I can…"_

_"Good. Oh, if she wakes up, get her to eat and rest for a while. Don't let her fall asleep again, though. Okay?"_

_"Alright, Piers…"_

Sheba left Piers to his work and returned to Mia's side. He shrugged his blue bandanna from his shoulders as he refocused on keeping Felix's condition from deteriorating.

He smiled down slightly, _"SEru'as ki'mi'ag, Felix-kumi. SEru'os tIn'ske konk'tra'ag sEru'su ehnk'tra'en." (She's young, Felix. She'll work to right her wrongs.)_

* * *

Two hours of searching and nothing yielded. Regrettably Isaac was forced to yield himself and resigned to thoughts of life and his crimes. He leaned against the door to the inn and replayed the events of when he, Garet, Ivan and Mia had finally caught up to Felix, Jenna Sheba and Piers. They had been chasing Felix down, willing to kill, to stop him from lighting the Lighthouse Beacons, believing it would destroy the world. He had been shocked to discover that it was truly he and his attempts to stop Felix that would destroy the world. He had killed two people, the two Proxians, Saturos and Menardi, who started the entire quest for everyone, be it through force or chase for misguided reasons.

He couldn't resist joining Felix on his quest to ignite the final Beacon, if just to redeem himself for his crime. They had the same goal and everyone was united, it seemed like it would work well, only for them to fall apart a mere day afterward, Felix was near-death, Jenna was close to emotionally breaking, Mia was suffering from hysteria and Sheba had disappeared without a trace. Isaac was barely holding together himself, the stress of the situation was weighing heavily on him and he knew the same was true for Garet. Ivan and Piers were seemingly the most composed and in control of themselves out of the eight of them.

He grew increasingly frustrated as his thoughts mixed together and simply annoyed him. He closed his eyes and tried to clear his thoughts, to try and be like Felix, but he couldn't. He sighed and resigned himself to scanning the town looking for a sign of Sheba or Garet. After several silent minutes, filled with an occasional bluster of wind, four figures appeared on the road into the town.

_"Guys!"_ Isaac yelled, running down to them, his dirt-blonde hair blowing behind him, _"Garet, did you find Sheba?"_

Garet shook his head, "_No luck, man, sorry. But I do have some good news."_

_"What?"_ Isaac urged, desperate for some relief from the weight on his shoulders.

_"We have managed to acquire the ingredients necessary to create a medicine to cure Mia's hysteria."_ Kraden answered.

_"Really?"_ Isaac asked, shocked at their first bit of good news. His mind breathed a joyous sigh of relief as he felt the tension in his chest loosen and suddenly he could breathe easier.

_"Really, but it wasn't easy. There's a whole lot more monsters out there and they're a lot stronger."_ Ivan sighed, wiping some sweat from his brow having protected Kraden as they searched through the plains, _"I'm amazed Felix took down so many wyverns before they got him."_

_"Why?"_

_"I believe I might have an answer to that."_ Kraden said, _"I believe that the Jupiter Beacon is sending all wind aligned monsters in the Lighthouse into a craze, boosting both their power and tapping them further into their feral side."_

_"The overflow of Jupiter aligned Psynergy is too much for them to handle."_ Master Hama added_, "I can sense it, they're in pain there is too much power being focused on their minds. We shall need to prepare for attacks in the future. It will be only a matter of time before they eventually attack this town."_

_"Well, in any case the entire area is much more dangerous now."_ Ivan sighed, examining a large tear that his cloak had suffered as he was out defending Kraden.

_"Yes, well I suppose I should get to work with these ingredients, if you'll excuse me." _Kraden walked back up to the inn, taking Ivan's cloak with him and disappeared inside.

_"I wish to see how Felix is."_ Master Hama said calmly and left.

_"Hey, Isaac, is Sheba missing or something?"_

Isaac turned to see Ivan staring at him quizzically, _"Uh, yeah. She was supposed to be looking after Mia, but when I went to check on her she was gone. We've been looking for her since."_ He sighed as the problems returned to his mind. The brief respite had been nice he would have like for it to have lasted slightly longer.

_"I see, but if you've looked everywhere surely she must be using her Psynergy to hide. She's most likely cloaked in the shadows." _Ivan said walking past Isaac up to the inn.

_"She's probably still in the inn then. C'mon."_

They silently walked up to the inn, worries filling their minds for Mia and Felix. Ivan stopped suddenly and rooted himself to the spot. The Psynergy in his body was reacting to something, trembling in trepidation. Isaac and Garet walked up to him wondering what he was doing. Just then an incredibly strong gust blew past them pushing them back, and causing Garet to fall onto his back. Ivan looked off to Jupiter Lighthouse. Even from his great distance from the immense purple monolith, he knew something was happening with the Beacon. Storm clouds and lightning bolts fired around and enshrouded the top of the Lighthouse.

_"That's not what I sensed…"_ Ivan said staring to the sky, _"We'll have to get moving. Soon."_ He said strongly, continuing onward to the inn.

_"Yeah, no kidding."_ Garet said gruffly as he dusted himself off.

_"Where should we look?"_ Ivan asked as he reached the inn's door, glowing with Psynergy.

_"Okay, Ivan, you take the upstairs. Garet and I will look downstairs."_

Garet nodded and produced a small ball of flame in his hand, Ivan had already cast Reveal, the air around him shimmered gently and his eyes turned pale grey as he saw what couldn't be seen.

_"Alright let's go."_

* * *

Her guilt soaked her cheeks yet, nevertheless, supportive whispers echoed in her ears as a scream of cruel memory. She was determined to help, but her words made her feel even guiltier with each and every syllable she uttered. She persisted though, it was her own fault and she wasn't going to stop.

_"Come on, Mia, you can do this, you can save him."_

She continued whispering as someone walked in behind her.

_"You know we've been looking for you Sheba."_ A voice from behind her said.

She smiled slightly as she heard him. Turning around, she saw Ivan standing behind her, his eyes turning from pale grey to their deep purple. She had grown quite fond of Ivan, even amidst the current crisis. They had been caring for Mia together and had traded stories from their travels and he was very entertaining. He was able, when his mind was not set on a task, to lighten the mood with simplistic gestures or ridiculous outbursts.

_"Hey, Ivan, yeah, I figured you might."_ She frowned slightly, regretting her small lapse of judgement.

_"So, why did you leave Mia?"_ Ivan asked with a tinge of anger in his voice.

This slight tone of anger shocked Sheba, it wasn't like Ivan to display any form of hostile emotion. He always threw some passive remark or comical taunt around, frustration and disappointment wasn't something she had seen him display.

_"I'm sorry I left, but here, let me show you why."_ She stood up looked deep into Ivan's eyes, green meeting purple, and softly placed her hands on Ivan's cheeks. They both glowed with silvery rings and Sheba's memories of what had happened with Mia were shared with Ivan. Every detail was shared in its entirety, as vivid and real as when Sheba had entered Mia's dreams.

She stopped and lightly lifted her hands away from Ivan.

_"That…This is horrible."_ Ivan breathed, aghast, looking at Sheba and then turning his gaze to Mia.

He dropped to his knees beside Mia and held her hand in both of his. Light tears were forming in his eyes as he looked at her. Sheba knelt behind him and wrapped her arms around him, holding him. His breathing was fast, uncontrolled.

_"Relax, Ivan, she'll be okay you'll see."_ Sheba whispered in his ear.

_"It's just not fair,"_ Ivan was on the verge of crying now_, "Mia's never done anything to deserve this. She always does her best to help people. It's not fair."_

_"I know, Ivan, I know,"_ She whispered soothingly in his ear, _"but, don't worry, she'll be okay. Kraden will help and she'll be okay."_

They knelt there for a while, Ivan sobbing lightly with Sheba holding him, tightly, lovingly. Tears slowly dripped from his eyes and collected on the floor, forming small pools, or splashing against Sheba's arms. Ivan lifted one hand away from Mia and pressed it against Sheba's arms, showing he was grateful for the comfort and support she offered. She shifted her arms slightly and squeezed his hand in her own. She gently leaned her head against his, despite the situation, she felt soothed and relaxed with him.

_"Remember,"_ She started tenderly, _"crying, as bad as it feels, is good."_

She smiled at the memory of the quote, and hoped that Ivan had just smiled as well, even if tears still fell. It had been him to say it first, so long ago. She wondered if he actually did remember.

Eventually Ivan stopped, his breathing slowed and relaxed. Sheba gently let him go, and they stood up. Ivan turned to Sheba, his purple eyes shining with tears. This had surprised Sheba even more, sadness, yet another emotion he hadn't yet displayed, not even when they first found Mia and Felix.

_"Thank you for being here, Sheba."_ He said quietly.

_"Don't w-" _

Before she could finish Ivan's lips met her cheek very quick and very lightly, like the wind, fitting considering their element. He pulled away and she was stunned and stuck in the same position with her hand raised slightly toward him.

_"Ivan…"_ She breathed, in disbelief.

_"Thanks, Sheba…"_ He smiled, only slightly, and left, gone before she had even realised what had happened.

He left her there, feeling shocked. Her hand went to her cheek, stroking around the warmth that Ivan's lips had left. Had Ivan just kissed her? Why? She thought for a while before giving up and sitting back down beside Mia. She couldn't help but smile, even where she was and what was happening, she was glad to have met Isaac, Garet, Mia, and especially Ivan. It was then that the idea that she liked him more than a friend blossomed in her head. She blushed slightly as she imagined them together, childish fantasies of happiness, love and even marriage played in the theatre of her mind. She giggled slightly as she imagined children and saw Ivan restrained by the needs of parents and unable to be himself.

* * *

Once more Isaac's immediate thought was a rushed one as his feet acted before he could. This time however Garet accompanied him as the young boy's call echoed down the stairs. No screams were heard and Isaac wasn't sure what to make of that but continued toward the call, hoping for some good news. The young boy stood at the end of the hall motioning to them.

_"What? Did you find Sheba?"_ Isaac asked hurriedly, mimicking his current advancing speed.

Ivan put out both his arms as bars to block the accelerating adepts from bursting into the girls' room and berating Sheba with criticisms and disappointments, _"Yeah_,_ she's in the room,"_ He pushed Isaac back as the Adept tried to push past the smaller boy, _"she had her reasons trust me. The important thing is she's back and caring for Mia."_

Garet extinguished the ball of flame in his hand and scowled in the direction of the girls' room. Isaac glowered down the hall over Ivan's head, he didn't really care if she had or reasons or not. He couldn't imagine what would justify abandoning Mia in such a situation. They were all strained and worried as it was.

_"As long as she doesn't leave Mia by herself again."_ He muttered, frustrated.

Garet nodded along angrily, the air around him sparking slightly with his anger,_ "Yeah, we care for Mia too much, Ivan. She better not-"_

Ivan nodded calmly, hoping to instil ease in the two Adepts, "Don't_ worry, I talked with her. She knows what she did was wrong and she won't leave her side again."_

Garet had not been calmed by Ivan's statement, the oxygen in the air still cracking and popping around him,_ "Well, she better not or else I'll-"_

_"Garet!"_ Isaac cut across him angrily, _"I don't care what happens, you will not harm anyone. Do you understand!?"_

Garet glared angrily at Isaac who returned it just as fiercely. They stared each other down, the tension of the past few hours ready to explode outward, both of them ready to fight. It almost seemed possible and the two of them welcomed it, an outlet to let out their frustration, be it a best friend or otherwise.

Garet let out a small sigh and raised his hands as a sign of peace, _"Ugh, fine."_

_"Good. Ivan, you stay with… Have you been crying?"_ Isaac frowned, now that his anger had subsided, noticing some faint tear streaks on his cheeks.

_"Oh, uh… yeah,"_ He mumbled, quickly wiping his cheeks with his sleeve, _"it's nothing."_

_"Alright, just take it easy, keep an eye on Sheba."_ Isaac said softly, patting the younger Adept on the shoulder.

Ivan gave a quick tip of an imaginary cap and retreated down the hall to the girls' room. Isaac had to wonder what had happened. It was never like Ivan to cry, even in the worst situations. He usually tried to laugh and cheer others up. Maybe he let his emotions out in private. Still, Isaac couldn't shake the feeling that something may have happened.

_"Garet,"_ He looked at his friend both seeming equally angry, _"you go and entertain Piers."_

_"Fine."_ He said gruffly and walked towards their room.

Isaac quickly decided to check on Kraden's remedy situation. The sooner he was done the better. Briskly, he made his way to Kraden's room. He stared dubiously at the door to Kraden's room as he arrived. A strange mist drifted from under it and flowed out the nearby window. Slowly pushing open the door, a mass of steams and mist attacked him before escaping through the window. Coughing violently and fanning the air around him with his hand and Isaac stumbled in through the door, lifting his scarf up around his mouth and nose.

_"Ah blast it, I forgot how difficult this was to make."_ The scholar growled as he searched through the clutter in his room, _"Where did I put those…? Ah, here they are!"_

He was adding different ingredients to a small pot in his room, mincing, shredding and cutting the different mixes.

Isaac's eyes stung slightly with the air of the room, he coughed as he struggled to perceive anything through the heavy, coloured air, _"Whoa, Kraden, how can you work like this?"_ His throat felt dry in the steam as he spoke.

_"Ah, Isaac, my boy, come in I'll need your help."_ He said beckoning Isaac over.

_"Alright, if you say so…"_ Isaac ambled slightly in the room, not particularly favouring moving closer to the fumes that were being produced, as he walked over, _"What do you need?"_

The old scholar was wearing a mask of sorts as he worked, most likely to prevent him from inhaling the fumes,_ "Oh, nothing much, I just need you to fetch me Mia's bag of healing supplies. I nearly have this finished and Mia has the last ingredient I need."_

Isaac nodded quickly to the scholar, although wondering why Kraden hadn't simply brought it with him when he started, and moreover why he beckoned him into the room only to ask him to leave. Isaac was more than happy to leave the room and ran down to the girls' room. He stopped suddenly when he saw a young blonde Jupiter Adept pacing back and forth in front of the door, mumbling to himself.

_"Ivan?" _

_"Oh, uh hey, Isaac…"_

_"I thought I told you to stay with Sheba."_ He said raising an eyebrow. Isaac was confused, it wasn't unusual for Ivan to be restless or talk to himself, but when he was given a task these quirks were discarded and replaced by determination. So, why wasn't he watching Sheba?

_"You did... but, uh about that, you see after I found out her reasons for hiding, well I… we, uh… I… you see…"_ He stumbled and threw the occasional glance at the door to the girls' room.

Isaac was afraid of what he might say. In the more extravagant parts of his mind he imagined that Ivan had beaten Sheba and that's why he had insisted no one go to see her. He shook the thought away, dismissing it as ridiculous,_ "What did you do, Ivan?"_ Isaac asked cautiously.

_"Well I sorta… kissed Sheba…"_ Ivan muttered, embarrassment quickly growing from his cheeks.

Isaac's jaw dropped and he stared at Ivan, _"You and Sheba…"_

_"Well, not really. It was just on the cheek... but I guess I kinda ruined the dynamic we had." _He sighed, _"Especially considering what had led to it." _He finished, mumbling so Isaac wouldn't hear.

_"I see…"_ He said scratching the back of his head there could have been a better time for that. Moreover, why would he do it in the first place? First he was crying, now he had kissed Sheba. The order of those two things had to be put straight for Ivan's sake.

The two of them stood looking around the hall silently. They both opened their mouths several times to say something but no words escaped. They both wondered why exactly it was so awkward. They both supposed that it was just with recent events it was all unexpected.

Finally Isaac remembered why he had come here, _"Well I…uh… I have to get Mia's healing stuff so…"_

_"Well, get to it then."_ Ivan tried to laugh a bit.

Isaac walked past Ivan and into the girls' room, Jenna and Mia were still sleeping and Sheba was sitting beside Mia whispering to her. She turned around and smiled at Isaac.

_"Hey, Isaac."_ She said brightly, her smile growing wider which each passing moment.

_"Oh, uh… hey,"_ He murmured awkwardly, _"I just… uh… need Mia's things for Kraden. So I'll just…"_ Damn Ivan anyway, it was his fault Isaac couldn't think now.

He walked to the foot of Mia's bed and opened the trunk where they had put Mia's supplies. He searched through the trunk looking for the small white bag, pushing apart several pairs of the same healing robes that Mia had along with some of her more _'embarrassing'_ clothing items.

_"Isaac, I'm sorry about earlier…"_ Sheba said quietly.

Isaac stood up holding Mia's supplies, _"Oh, that… hey no worries… Ivan explained it so… yeah… Just keep an eye on her… please?"_ There were enough problems already Sheba going missing again wasn't something he wished to add to the list.

_"Of course."_ She beamed, rubbing her arm slightly, as though debating something internally.

_"I gotta get back to Kraden…"_ He made for the door quickly, wanting to escape the awkward situation he had put himself in.

_"Ivan kissed me you know…"_ She said quietly as his hand rested on the doorknob.

Isaac sighed slightly and hoped it was quiet enough to have escaped her notice, _"Oh… uh really? Wh-Why did he do that?"_ He asked, having hoped to avoid the conversation. He turned around slowly, attempting to look surprised and hoped Sheba wouldn't ask anything weird.

_"I don't know really, it was just on the cheek. Nothing big I know, but... I've never been kissed by someone, even on the cheek."_ She nervously rustled her short blonde hair with her hand as she spoke.

Isaac decided to play stupid, _"Well, that doesn't sound like a big deal."_

Sheba nodded along, _"I know. Guess I was just surprised, never really felt like that before." _It was true after all. Ever since his lips just brushed her cheeks she felt... _'different'. _It was strange. What was it?

_"Oh, I suppose I could talk to him about it."_ He shrugged, wanting to leave and get back to Kraden.

Sheba blushed slightly, mumbling to herself as Isaac spoke, not listening _"He is pretty cute and fun and all, but I…"_

Isaac had said goodbye and left the room, unnoticed by Sheba. She was still caught in her thoughts, her wonder. Ivan? Could she... could she _like_ him? She used to think she liked Felix. He was the man who jumped for her, he was the one who had sworn to protect her, he was the one who had done everything to make her comfortable on this quest. Was that just because she had been a prisoner though?

Felix had been nice... but he had never really been that kind of nice. Maybe she just thought she liked him when he was just trying to make up for her kidnapping. Then there was Ivan. She had only met him twice before: in Tolbi and then at Jupiter Lighthouse. Already she was considering...

She shook the thoughts away, thinking herself just overwhelmed by a simple gesture of thanks. Only now realising Isaac had gone. She smiled, embarrassed of herself and turned back to watching Mia.

Meanwhile, Isaac had run past Ivan, assuming he had heard everything between him and Sheba, and hurried to Kraden's room. Remembering to cover his mouth and nose before entering, and pondering if making potions in an inn was allowed or even legal, he pushed open the door and moved to Kraden's side as fast as he could.

_"Here you go, Kraden. All Mia's healing supplies, as ordered."_ Isaac smiled, though hidden behind his scarf.

_"Ah excellent, this is just what I need, I should have this finished in a short while."_

_"Brilliant,"_ Isaac said relieved, _"bring it up to her when it's done I'll be there."_

_"Yes, my dear boy, of course."_

Isaac left the room and worked through the impending conversation with Ivan in his mind. He didn't particularly enjoy the thought of the conversation with one of the most childish people he had ever known. It was then that he reflected on how exactly Ivan had become so. He was far too withdrawn when he first met him.

* * *

Piers patiently awaited further development as the glaring Mars Adept stared into nothing. His eyes, though slightly unfocused, drifted from the dying Adept beneath him to the angry one across from him. Garet sighed angrily and scratched his head as he continued.

_"I mean Mia is one of my dearest friends, I think I have the right to be mad at a person who left her when she was supposed to be caring for her."_

Garet sat on the bed beside Felix's and tried to reason his emotions of anger with Piers. Piers didn't get it, and why should he? Piers didn't know him. He didn't know Piers. Piers didn't know Mia. Piers didn't know how much Garet cared for her. So, he wouldn't understand at all. Who else could he confide in now though? Ivan was looking after Sheba and he didn't want to be anywhere near her or Mia, going to Isaac so soon after their little stare down would be a bad idea, Kraden was old and working, and Jenna was asleep and not in the best emotional state, so Piers was the only one left. Garet Piers kept his gaze fixed on Felix with his ever present wise smile.

_"I understand how you feel, Garet, but try to look at the situation from her point of view."_ Piers said calm as ever.

Garet didn't believe the former part of Piers' statement. No he didn't. He thought he did maybe. But, he didn't understand the sheer depth of care Garet had, no one did.

_"Her point of view!? She abandoned Mia and hid away, I don't really see much else too it."_ He shouted, almost as childishly as some of Sheba's outbursts.

_"I assume you don't know why Sheba left then, do you?"_ Piers said astutely, scanning the hole in Felix's chest.

_"I… No, I don't."_ Garet muttered, frowning in embarrassment.

_"No, I didn't think you did. She left because Mia is trapped in a nightmare. If Sheba wakes her up she screams and screams. If she puts her to sleep Mia relives Felix dying over and over."_ Piers said sadly, _"Sheba was the one who put her back to sleep. You shouldn't jump to conclusions, Garet."_

_"Uh, sorry… I…"_

_"It's not me you should be apologising to, Garet."_ Piers looked up and smiled calmly.

_"I'll go apologise to her."_

_"Why?"_ He raised an eyebrow, always trying to test his friends, testing to discover the depth of their care, or knowledge, or passion for whatever was being questioned.

_"Because of the way I acted, why else?"_ Garet was feeling rather frustrated by the man. Why could he not just tell him what to do? It's far easier.

_"She isn't aware of how you felt, Garet. So, who should you apologise to?"_

Garet stared at the wise Lemurian and watched as he tried to keep Felix alive, _"Isaac and Ivan…?"_ He asked slowly. He was completely unsure of what the Lemurian expected him to say.

Piers nodded, _"Then you should tell Sheba how you felt and apologise."_

_"Why?"_ He grew more and more confused with each word that left the Lemurian's mouth.

_"Humility makes great men."_ Piers beamed back.

Garet stared at the Lemurian, working through his last few words. He had heard them said somewhere before, and had wondered about their meaning then too. It struck him suddenly, his grandfather, the mayor of Vale, had told him off and used those very words on him. His respect for Piers suddenly shot up.

Garet patted Piers on the arm, wearing a broad smile of acceptance, _"Thanks."_

Piers chuckled slightly as he left, _"Ta'iu'as hi'tile vi'ne." (You're a good man.)_

* * *

**_Well, chapter three done. Two weeks until the next one._**  
**_Until then, why don't you drop a review and tell me what you thought? It's always nice to get feedback after all.  
Word of warning though, if you take the time to review, I'll take the time to respond and say thanks._**  
**_And, if you're desperately trawling through dictionaries or translators trying to decipher what language Piers is speaking, don't bother.  
It's a fan created language, and all credit goes to Kasuto. It is his fictional language for the Legend Of Zelda games.  
I take no credit for it, it's all him, so major kudos._**  
**_You can find it at_** kasuto . net **_in the_** Hylian Language **_section._**

**Anyhoo, that's that,  
Until next time,  
Your friend and writer,  
Droory.**


	4. Time To Heal

**_Hey! It's the day of my birth! I know it's odd for me to give out presents on such a day, but I'm hoping you'll return the favour. (Hint, hint)  
Well, it's the next chapter.  
Thanks in advance,  
Special thanks to_**_ Celestia's Paladin, crazy reader, Bonar, Noel_ _the mermaid, and TrippyToastersAndABagOfChips __**for reviewing.  
Well, I'll not delay,  
ONWARDS!**_

* * *

Isaac sighed as he closed Kraden's door behind him. Now he had to go talk to Ivan, a talk he _really_ did not want to have. Surely he could delay it, saying there were more important things to be concerned with right now. Still, he was concerned for his friend and the Laliveran. Ivan was not one to just go and kiss someone, unless it was there birthday, just to say thanks. He might hug them, punch them in the arm, do something Ivan, but this was new. Maybe he liked the girl… for some reason, but they had only known each other a short time.

Sometimes he worried for his young friend. He had been nothing like he was now when they had first met him… he barely spoke when they first met him as it were. He preferred to use his mental abilities over voicing his opinions. He wondered if maybe Garet and he had made Ivan feel more secure in the world. He had thought that he was alone in it after all, to meet other Psynergy-wielders must have made him feel like he wasn't alone. Maybe that was when he started coming into his own as a person.

_"Hey, Ivan."_ He called down the hall as the young Jupiter Adept came into view, who had been previously mumbling to himself, _"Sheba asked me to talk to you about your little action."_

The boy's ever-present boyish grin fell away, _"Okay…"_

_"What happened?"_ Isaac asked, wondering why he hadn't earlier, _"Why were you crying? What could have happened that led to you kissing her?"_

All these circumstances were highly irregular. Not to mention that they were all happening during the current crisis. He really didn't have too much time to deal with this problem, yet something compelled him to solve it. Maybe he just wanted to help in a way he knew he could.

_"Umm…"_

He was in no mood for delays, _"I'll ask Sheba if you won't tell me."_ Isaac threatened.

_"Fine, fine. Mia's having nightmares and stuff… I just… she did nothing to deserve it. I ended up crying over it and Sheba was there for me… it was nice."_ Ivan explained, fresh tears appearing in his eyes as he remembered Mia's predicament.

_"Oh, okay… uh, by nice you mean…?"_ Isaac urged. Nice had a range of possibilities. Anything could be _'nice'_ what exactly did Ivan mean this time. Sometimes he wished he could read minds too.

_"New."_ Ivan said quickly, _"I've been comforted before, men and women, but something was… different. She just sat there with me, holding me… it was nice."_

Ah, so that's what he meant. Well, not the word Isaac would have chosen, but now he knew anyway. Isaac's smirk slowly grew as Ivan spoke, _"Nice, huh? You know in Vale we have a different phrase for that. It's called wanting her!"_

_"Dude, shut up!"_ Ivan cast a careful glance at the door behind them, Isaac's statement was dangerously loud enough for Sheba to hear, _"What's wrong with you?"_

Isaac laughed, sometimes things were just too perfect, and Ivan being embarrassed? Nothing could be better, _"Oh, come on. Not everyone needs to read minds to know what someone thinks, you like her don't you?"_

_"How could I?"_ Ivan had become very defensive, along with a brilliant new red glow on his face, and had moved away from the girls' door, _"I've known her two days."_

_"So? You know how I feel about Jenna. That was almost instantaneous, time has no law with this stuff."_ Strange how openly he could talk about this with Ivan. Moreover that he could talk about it when anyone could be listening. Though, Felix was out cold so he was safe for now.

_"That's different!"_ Ivan retorted, knowing he was arguing in vain, _"You were friends all your lives."_

_"C'mon, I know this is new to you, but this is over-reacting."_ Isaac countered smugly, _"Look, she wants to know why, I say you tell her."_

Ivan shook his head negatively, his face becoming a darker red, _"Suicide. No way. I don't even know if I like her."_

This was going nowhere, Isaac sighed, _"Look, why don't you take time to realise you do, alright? Go down to the docks and clear your head, work's finished on the ship so it'll be all quiet for you."_

_"Oh, the effort of walking down there."_ Ivan sighed, trying to be funny and diffuse the awkwardness.

_"Either you go through the effort or I drag you in there and force you to tell her."_ Isaac said, grabbing the boy's shoulder.

The boy jerked his shoulder from him and took off on his walk,_ "Fine, fine! Gods you're intolerable sometimes. I swear someday I'll…"_ He trailed off as he disappeared down the hall.

Isaac shook his head as he pushed open the door to the girls' room. Isaac focused he entered, Jenna was still asleep in her bed, resting comfortably beneath the sheets. Mia was still unconscious, the constant pain she felt etched into her features. Sheba was beside her, still whispering to the healer, though she turned when Isaac entered, a small blush forming from her last talk when she just trailed off.

_"Hey, Sheba, how's Mia?" _Isaac asked, trying to distract her thoughts from Ivan.

Sheba shook her head with a small frown,_ "No improvement. Still hurt."_

_"And Jenna?"_

_"Still sleeping. Seems relaxed, no problems or disturbed mumblings."_

At least something was improving. As long as Jenna had calmed down, maybe he could handle this entire situation. Taking a careful seat beside Mia, and looking over his friend with care that spoke volumes more than an average friendship. Two years of knowing each other, of facing weather, and battle, and, essentially, the entire world, forged a bond between the Valean and the Imilian as strong as the one he shared with any of his childhood friends. They were forced into a friendship... but the friendship itself was in no way forced. It was so natural that it bordered on them being related or involved. It was amazing really.

He smiled to the healer who had become one of his closest friends in such a short time, rubbing his hand delicately above the bandaged area of her leg. Turning from his friend, to the young girl who he would most likely be forced into a friendship as well, he rid himself of melancholy thoughts of injury and smirked.

_"I had that talk with Ivan." _He commented.

Sheba glanced up a little, biting down on her lip. Isaac smirked to himself, choosing not to point out the girl's reaction to that.

_"I think he likes you."_

Sheba blushed deeply, but said nothing. That thought, of someone liking her as something more, was new. No one had ever felt about her that way, not that she knew anyway, and she had never felt like that for anyone else.

_"He refuses to just say that though. It's not usual to see him embarrassed, so I had fun teasing him about it. I told him to go for a walk down to the beach."_

Sheba's face coursed with confusion at that,_ "Why?"_

_"Well, sometimes he needs a bit to clear his head."_Isaac let his smile grow wider as Sheba watched him,_ "Plus, it's getting kind of late. The sun will be setting soon, he'll be at the beach… romantic, no?"_

Sheba's face was instantly a much deeper tone than it had been previously. It was the intended effect, though the aftermath was still a question for Isaac, _"Wh-what's the point of that?"_Her attempt at innocence was cute.

Isaac smiled, _"Well, I can't say for you, but as I understand it women find that kind of thing very romantic… maybe you might surprise him down there."_

_"Wh-why!?"_Sheba gasped, her cheeks burning even hotter.

This attempt at ignorance really was cute in a way,_ "Might be a good way to catch him off guard, maybe make him say he likes you… maybe you could say you like him? Share a kiss maybe?"_

Sheba's heart was in her throat within a microsecond. Sh-share a kiss!? How could she do that? She… she didn't even know how! That brush of lips against her cheek was the closest she had ever come to romantic contact… and… and Ivan was just thanking her, that was all! This idea of Isaac's it… it was just… just ridiculous!

_"I-I can't!" _She objected, desperately searching for some reason to back up her argument seeing as Isaac was visibly questioning her, _"I shouldn't leave Mia again!"_She stated, so glad she had found a reason to end Isaac's suggestions. Then, she felt guilt grip her as she had just used Mia's current injury as a way to dodge embarrassment.

_"It's okay," _Isaac smiled, having expected that,_ "I can look after her for now, and Kraden's nearly done with his antidote, it'll be fine."_

_"I shouldn't leave."_She mumbled, defeated.

Isaac smirked. Sheba's face was a surprising shade of red over her already very tan face. She was young, and as he heard she had a very sheltered upbringing. These thoughts were probably very new to her. Deciding to be more mature about this approach, he spoke,_ "It'll be okay, Sheba. You'll be fine."_

Isaac would never truly know how much those words helped Sheba. She suddenly became… not confident, but she wasn't ashamed or afraid anymore. There was just something about Isaac, an aura or something, that made things seem easier if he said they would be. She stood up quickly, walking over to Isaac and pulling the Venus Adept into a surprisingly strong hug. Despite Isaac's strength he couldn't quite wrestle his arms away from the crushing grip to return it quite fully, but he did what he could.

Sheba smiled to him a little,_ "T-thank you." _She mumbled, before darting out of the room.

_"Well what, might I ask, was all that about?"  
_

* * *

Ivan kicked the same stone in front of him for what had to be the fiftieth time now. This walk was doing nothing for him or how he felt. How was a walk supposed to sort out something like this? To do that one is supposed to talk with the party in question, not isolate themselves to think it over. Though, that's what he was doing now, so he may as well do it right.

They may only have known each other for the combined time of about a day, but they had certainly become friends fast. That was nothing, he warmed to everyone pretty easy, so why should Sheba have been a different story?

Sure, Sheba was attractive… cute… some word to that effect. He didn't really know, this wasn't his area of expertise. He could list off her features finding something complimenting, but what did that mean to him? Why _should_ it mean anything to him? He was just some kid, okay a kid who could control the wind and was on a quest to save the world, but still a kid.

Her eyes were definitely beautiful, he knew that much. Their shimmering emerald-green seemed to change with her mood, the few he'd seen anyway. When she was happy, they sparkled and shook a little, it was kind of odd, but definitely attractive. When she was sad, they shrunk away a bit, seeming to reflect more light. When she was afraid, with her eyes wide, the colour dominated so much of them it was hard not to marvel at them.

Her hair was as gold, similar to his but… more feminine. Where his was just a random assortment of unkempt blonde, hers was a controlled and tidy frame for her features. It was a little odd, but it was certainly nice to look at.

She wasn't exactly as feminine in body as Jenna or Mia were. She was still young after all, though he was one to talk. He wasn't exactly the prime examples of manliness that any of the other males of the group had set. Besides, he wasn't as shallow as to just consider physicality.

He didn't know what he was thinking and he kicked the stone again, watching it bounce against the path. All of the things he said about her appearance could be said about Jenna or Mia, the two of them were very attractive as well. The things he was thinking could easily be taken out of context.

She had remembered the first time they met about a year ago, when she was a prisoner in Tolbi. She had remembered what he had said to her. That had been a nice day, but he was only trying to cheer up a sad girl then.

In his younger days, he'd been alone, excluded from everyone else for being weird and a freak. Sheba too had been excluded, though the hurtful insults and taunts that were thrown at him were gilded for her. Where he had been excluded through bullies and name-calling, she had been excluded by being locked away, treasured as a miracle too precious for the outside world.

He sighed, continuing his wonder. Why was he so focused on Sheba? Must have been because Isaac had told him to think about her on this walk. Yeah, this was his fault… he was the one who had said all this nonsense about liking her and had gone to back it up with how he felt about Jenna. Maybe he should stay out of his life and work on his own.

When at last he reached the beach, he sat down still with his thought on the Laliveran. It had done him no good to blame Isaac, it had done no good to try and justify his thoughts about her appearance, nothing he had done had proved of any use.

So, he continued to just sit and think.

* * *

The bottle in the scholar's hand ignited a much needed spark of hope in the Adept's chest. He suddenly felt possessed by duty and a sense of direction from just a simple glass bottle, with an admittedly unpleasant looking concoction contained within. Isaac's eyes were bright with optimism. Kraden smiled as he moved in, finally glad to see optimism in the young blonde's eyes. His work was often not recognised, not that he could blame the group seeing as everything just bombarded them in the space of a day when they discovered something new, so it was nice to have such an effect for once.

_"Kraden is that…?"_ Isaac said hopeful, ignoring Kraden's interest for the room.

_"It is, my friend, prop her up please."_

Isaac nodded and placed his hand, gently, beneath Mia's head and his other behind her back and raised her into a sitting position.

_"Excellent, now open her mouth please." _The scholar stated as he uncorked the vial. the liquid had looked disgusting as it was, but the smell... it was ungodly in its aroma. It assaulted the room within seconds, Isaac physically struggling not to gag. He was amazed by the fortitude of Kraden's nose, or perhaps its destruction after a lifetime of having to deal with such pungent scents.

He shook his head, doing his best to regain his focus. Gently putting his thumb and index finger around Mia's delicate lips, Isaac opened the healer's mouth, trying not to let unbecoming thoughts enter his mind.

_"Brace her and stand back, this won't be a pleasant experience."_

Isaac nodded and held her tightly at the waist as Kraden poured the red serum into her mouth. Even in Mia's current state Isaac couldn't help but let a small red hue appear on his cheeks, sometimes in his travels he had imagined Mia and him in this position, though she was conscious. Isaac tilted her head back slightly so as to ensure she drank the serum.

Mia's eyes flew open and she coughed and convulsed violently, leaning over the side of the bed and vomiting. Isaac recoiled quickly, but did not release her, as she had nearly covered him in a paste of... he chose not to think of it.

_"Ah, it worked perfectly."_ Kraden smiled to himself as he made a quick retreat from the side of the bed.

_"_This_ is working perfectly?"_ Isaac asked in disbelief, holding Mia steady and trying to get as far from her as possible at the same time.

_"Yes, the vomiting is just the way of clearing toxins from the body."_ He smiled, _"She may not remember some things, but she will be fine if given time to rest. Though, somehow I imagine she won't have long."_

Isaac frowned and turned back to Mia, who seemingly, and thankfully, hadn't heard Kraden's words, as she continued to vomit on the floor beside her. Eventually the continuing tide of gunk ebbed and Mia returned to the sitting position Isaac had put her in. She coughed, lifted her hand slightly and tried to regain her focus on it. She then glanced quickly around the room and her eyes fell on Isaac. Isaac quickly retrieved some cloths for her and the new pool upon the floor.

_"…Isaac…"_ She said wearily, a slight smile on her lips.

_"Hey, Mia, welcome back…"_ He smiled, handing her a cloth and crouching down to wipe up the mess.

_"Where….ugh…where am I?"_ She asked groggily, wiping her face.

_"You're in your bed, in the inn in Contigo."_ He answered reassuringly.

_"Oh… yeah… What happened to me?"_

_"You were uh…"_

Isaac debated telling her everything in his mind. Felix had been the source of this situation and she had been alone as she tried to save him. To remind her of everything now wouldn't help. He stopped and looked at her thoughtfully as she rubbed her eyes, before realising he had been silent for some time.

_"You were hurt in battle and you've been out since then."_

He lifted the end of the blanket to show her bandaged leg. She gasped slightly at the sight of the bloody bandage. She winced as she reached toward it to check it. Isaac gently pushed her back down.

_"The town healer cured you as best he could but there were some toxins in your blood that he couldn't extract."_

Mia began to glow weakly with Psynergy. Isaac placed her hand on her shoulder and the weak, crackling Psynergetic rings dissipated.

_"Mia, no need, Kraden's remedy should have got rid of all it, you need to eat something and get some rest."_

_"Ugh… you're right, I'm so tired…"_ She whispered and massaged her throat, which felt so dry, _"Could you get some food for me, Isaac, please?"_

_"Of course, Mia, I'll be right back."_ He smiled at her as she lay back down and rested her head against her pillow.

He stared down at the mess beneath him, shook his head and walked over to Jenna's bed, shaking her lightly to wake her up, _"Jenna… Jenna…"_ He whispered.

She stirred and slowly opened her eyes, _"Oh, Isaac, is Felix okay yet?"_ She asked rubbing her eyes, _"And what is that smell?"_

Mia went wide-eyed as the mention of Felix caused her memories of what happened on the plains to rush back into her mind, she let out a small breath, hoping it would escape the other two's notice.

_"I'm sorry, Jenna, not yet. But, Mia is feeling better, she's awake and talking will you keep her company? That smell"_ He grimaced gesturing to Mia, _"was Mia's recovery."_

Jenna turned her head to look at Mia's bed. She saw Mia and smiled slightly, _"Ugh. Poor M- Oh, Mia!"_ She exclaimed as she finally realised Mia was awake.

She got up and walked to Mia's side. Isaac smiled, Jenna's short rest seemed to have relaxed her to a certain degree, and he headed downstairs to get some food for Mia. He heard Jenna try to talk to Mia, but heard no response, that was odd Mia was always sociable and warm toward people, especially good friends. He assumed she was just tired from what she'd been through.

* * *

Garet's slumped form at the counter offered a sense of amusement and worry in Isaac. Garet had, since turning eighteen almost a month before their quest, tended to drink worries away. It usually worked for him and resulted in hilarious memories for him, although embarrassing to an incredible level. There was the odd occasion when he drowned not only is worries but his senses in the liqueur and resulted in inconvenient reciprocations for all concerned.

_"Hey man,"_ He smiled and patted him on the back, _"having fun?"_

Garet looked up from his glass, _"Oh hey, Isaac, I need to talk to you…"_ He said solemnly.

_"What's wrong?"_ Isaac was worried now, it wasn't like Garet to get serious and even more unlike him to get serious after he started drinking.

_"Sorry about everything, you know? Freaking out back there… It's just… well, I'm worried for Mia."_

Isaac nodded, tapping his best friend's shoulder twice and smiling. If anyone knew of how he felt for Mia, it was Isaac. Garet had expressed _'love at first sight'_ to him just moments after joining up with Mia in Mercury Lighthouse, _"I'm sorry too. It's stressful, I know. It's all good. But, hey, I know something that'll cheer you up."_ Isaac nudged Garet.

_"Oh really?"_ He sighed, entirely doubtful of Isaac's words.

Isaac smiled, pausing dramatically just waiting for that expression change that told one Garet was tired of waiting, _"Mia's awake."_

_"WHAT!?"_ Garet shouted, spilling his drink, _"Ah damn…"_ His Psynergy quickly evaporated it.

_"Yeah, so let's get her some food… and, well, you're not opposed to cleaning, right? Care to help?"_ Isaac laughed as Garet ran his hand over the spilled liquid.

_"Of course!"_ Garet exclaimed, uncaring for what he had to do. Mia was better!

They ordered a full rack of meat, some soup and two pieces of Contigo's famous corn for Mia. They had also obtained a bucket of water, a mop and some towels. They carefully brought the tray and cleaning supplies upstairs and into the girls' room. Within, Mia was silent, but smiling, and Jenna went deathly silent, blushing slightly, as her two friends entered.

_"Hey beautiful."_ Garet winked, glad to see his friend awake, _"We come bearing gifts."_

_"Hi, Garet."_ She said weakly, hugging him as he placed the tray of food into her lap, _"You didn't worry too much did you?"_

_"You kiddin'?"_ Jenna laughed, _"_'Oh, I hope my darling Mia recovers soon. I cannot bear the thought of her being unwell.'_" _Jenna mocked, smirking at him, _"I'd be careful of him, Mia."_

Garet faked insult, tossing his head back and holding his hand up by his head as if indicating stopping. Breaths of false shock escaped continuously. Isaac, choosing not to participate in this knowing if he did it would go on, started wiping up the coloured mess by Mia's bed.

_"Isaac?"_ The healer whispered quietly, escaping notice of the Mars Adepts' insulting each other, _"How is Felix?"_

Isaac didn't look up, partly to make it seem that he wasn't talking to Mia, partly because he did not want to, _"Piers is doing what he can. He's stable."_

_"Don't lie to me, Isaac."_ Mia warned, knowledge flashing in her blue eyes, _"He was dying out there, even with my strongest Psynergies. Please… just tell me the truth."_

Isaac nodded, feeling there was no use hiding it any longer. Now that Mia was better, maybe it wasn't a big deal. It could be handled now, right? Still, Jenna wouldn't take the news well.

_"Uh, Jenna… could you take a seat, I have something I need to tell you."_ Isaac asked, putting the mop he had been using aside.

Jenna stared for a second before the possible implications of that statement came rushing to her. Fear and worry burned into her entire form as she took a shaky seat down on Mia's bedside. The healer's hand found its way into hers and squeezed it reassuringly.

_"There's no easy way to say it, so…"_ Isaac took a deep breath to ready himself, ready to comfort or suffer punishment, or whatever Jenna's reaction may entail, _"Felix is dying."_

Mia had already known this to be truth, but that didn't stop tears from appearing in her eyes. But, Jenna… she had heard those words even more than the healer. Those words attacked her very heart, striking right back at those memories from when she first lost him.

Isaac hadn't just said that. He hadn't. He couldn't. Her mind was playing cruel tricks again. He couldn't have said it. But then, why was Mia crying, why had Garet turned away from her, why was Isaac looking so sad? He must have said it.

Felix had died before though. People couldn't survive death twice. Once was a miracle in itself… this time it would be too real. And… and she had only had him back for two years. How could that even begin to make up for the time they had lost and the pain and heartache she had suffered? He hadn't even really tried yet.

Jenna shook her head, blinking away tears, not believing any of this. Garet was at her side first, Isaac still stood across from her trying to continue to ease Jenna's worry.

_"It'll be okay, Jenna. Now that Mia's better we'll be able to heal him."_

Jenna didn't listen, she just shook her head again, _"I should be with him… I at least deserve to see him. He's my Brother… my only family…" _Her world was changing so fast, if Felix died she'd have no family left, nothing, she would be alone.

Garet glanced at Isaac, who nodded. Taking the signal, Garet helped Jenna up of the bed. She was shaking uncontrollably, the news unsettling all of her body, and was glad for Garet's support as he guided her out of the room and down the hall.

Isaac watched his friends walk away, just wishing he could be there for Jenna when she saw Felix. A scream emanated down the hall, cutting into Isaac's heart as he stayed at Mia's side. Wishing with all his heart that Garet would help her het past it, Isaac wiped his eyes of tears. Mia rubbed her hand over his, smiling up to him gently. Isaac smiled in return, and the two of them let their tears run free.

But Mia, all she could remember were the images of her nightmares and the plain, followed quickly by the damnation he had told he was promised after this quest. Whispering a prayer for Felix and Jenna, the family having suffered so much in their lives, Mia hoped that she could help him in time. Not just to save him, but to save his poor sister too._  
_

* * *

_"No-no-no-no-NO!"_

Jenna had collapsed beside Felix, tears running freely from her eyes. She held Felix's hand tightly in hers and sobbed into the sheets at his side. This just couldn't be happen. Not to Felix. Not Felix. She prayed that this was just a nightmare, prayed that it was not Felix's electricity crackling hand she held in hers. She couldn't lose him again.

The first time she had lost him all of her family died, and Isaac's dad. She said she had gotten past in in the years, but that was such an utter lie that it physically hurt her soul every time she said it. Then Felix came back and reopened the wound… this would only cut deeper.

Mere hours beforehand, she had vented disgust and hatred into Isaac's body because he hadn't let her near him. She couldn't lose him again. Why did it have to be Felix? Why did have to be her only family? Why was the world so desperate to make her alone?

Piers struggled heal Felix, as Jenna's contact with him made it more difficult. He struggled to focus his Psynergy into Felix alone, and as he quickly burned through it, it was so much more difficult. Garet tried to pry Jenna from Felix's side, but she was determined to stay with him.

_"Jenna, please you need to get back from him, it's not gonna help…"_

_"No…no I can't leave him…I can't! Felix? Felix, it's me Jenna! Felix, please Felix, say something!"_

Why? Why wouldn't he answer? How far gone was he? Could Piers even help him? That hole in his chest had been there all day! Was Piers even healing him? Why wasn't he any better? Why was electricity still burning paths along his skin? Why couldn't he be okay? Why did he have to be hurt?

Garet had grabbed Jenna's shoulders and tried to pry her away from the bedside, _"Jenna, Piers can't help him with you so close to him, please if you want to help Felix you need to get back…"_

Jenna sobbed and loosened her grip on Felix's hand. She kissed it and whispered to him as Garet slowly pulled her away and she stood up.

_"Come on, Jenna, the quicker Mia gets better the sooner Felix can be healed."_

Jenna continued sobbing, tears still streaming down her face, as she stood up to leave.

_"Do not worry, Jenna, I won't let Felix die, you have my word." _Piers had looked up to smile into Jenna's shining wine-red eyes.

She nodded slightly and walked out. Garet looked to Piers, smiled, nodded, and followed after her. Piers sighed as he thought of his mother, who had passed in his absence from his home. He wouldn't let Jenna feel what he had. Piers smiled sadly and returned to his work.

_"Ta'iu sh'e fEl'za'na hi'tile, Felix-kumi. Ta'iu'su aShi'ne am'kan'e ta'iu." (You should be a happy man, Felix. Your sister loves you.)  
_

* * *

Sheba frowned as she walked along the path that Ivan had no doubt walked not too long ago. Why was she walking, why had she listened to Isaac? This was stupid! She was following Ivan down to a beach at sunset because he had kissed her on the _cheek_! Whoop-dee-freakin'-doo!

Oh yes, this was _definitely _a reason to stalk the poor boy. From the way Isaac had said it, it didn't much sound like Ivan had any intention to see her anytime soon, much less talk about his little gesture of thanks. That's all it had been after all, and she had blown it way out of proportion for no reason other than it being new to her.

She had put all this unnecessary pressure on him for no reason. And dragging Isaac into this was definitely not the wise course of action. She should have just stewed in her own thought and enjoyed the feeling his lips had left on her cheek.

Why had she enjoyed it so much though? Sure it was new… but almost everything since her kidnapping had been new and exciting. This though, _this_ was… it was something, she couldn't quite place it. It was so new that what it might be was new to her. She dared to think that maybe she and Ivan…

No. No… Not now. It was just silly, a little girl's dream… not meant for a Laliveran princess that had fallen from the stars and had to save the world with her friends. Still, she had to bite her lip whenever she thought of that, it was so involuntary that it was natural. She worried for herself, because she was still walking on this path.

Ivan was cute, yes, in a kind of scruffy _'yeah, I'll tidy myself later'_ way. He was still clearly young, as clear as it was that she was young. His cheeks were still full like a baby's, even after two years of battle he kept his boyish looks. Yeah, she kind of liked him. It was odd… she didn't really know how to say it, but _'kind of like'_ worked for her for now.

She had glimpsed into his mind once or twice, and he had done the same. He hadn't always been like he was now… matter of fact he was silent, quiet, shy, withdrawn. She still hadn't found what had changed him, nor did she think anyone ever would as it seemed he didn't even know. Maybe it was just the freedom for the first time in his life.

Freedom… there wasn't much on this quest. They were all bound by chains dragging them through dangers and toward an ever growing darkness at the end of the world. This _'freedom'_ idea was all a farce. They didn't have the freedom they should. They had _some_, more than they had previously. They weren't free though. No one was ever truly free.

And Sheba continued to wonder as the beach at sunset came into her view._  
_

* * *

Isaac's stomach churned at the vile mess that had spewed from Mia's poor form. Most of it didn't even seem humanly possible. The mix of purple, yellow, green and brown hues almost made him produce the same. If there was one thing he regretted it was the lack of knowledge of how to actually clean up something such as this properly. His effort was admittedly half of one, but nonetheless, the gunk and liquids that were strewn across the floor were practically gone. But there was nothing he could do about the rising, putrid smell.

_"How was that, Mia?"_ Isaac asked, wiping the towels on the floor, opening the window wide in the hope of refreshing the air and taking a seat at the edge of her bed.

_"It was wonderful, Isaac, thank you."_ She said brightly, but her eyes glittered with unshed tears.

Isaac lifted the tray from her lap and placed it on the bedside table. She hadn't even eaten half of it, but he wasn't going to press her just yet, _"You're welcome. I'll be right back, okay, Mia?"_ He smiled, moving toward the door. She nodded slightly and turned her face down.

Isaac frowned as he dragged out the cleaning supplies, and towels from the room, he didn't want to leave Mia by herself, not even for a few seconds. He dragged them into a nearby closet where he had been told to leave them by the innkeeper, and rested his forehead against the cool wooden door.

Everything was so messed up, Jenna probably hated him for not telling her about Felix, Mia seemed to be breaking down for no reason and if something wasn't done soon, Felix wouldn't make it. He sighed aloud, knowing that, in this same situation, Felix would probably be handling it much better than he was.

Sometimes he wondered if he was even fit to be a leader. He never had to make life or death decisions really. The majority of his quest had been _'chase down Saturos'_ and wherever possible _'help anyone who needs it'_. There had never been those gut-wrenching moments you hear of in stories where the hero has to make a decision that will change his life and those he loves forever. Those one of split-second choices with horrible repercussions no matter the decision.

Felix dealt with those choices day after day, and it had left him highly jaded. He had already been somewhat of a loner in Vale, gods only knew what Prox had done to him, and now he was so much different. Isaac wanted to believe it had all been that Northern town of scaled demons. Yet, he acknowledged, in the back of his head, that it was true leadership that had done this to Felix.

He shook his head and forced himself to smile as he walked in slowly, before hearing a faint noise from Mia. He was at her side in a second, worried something was wrong. Mia looked up and hiccupped slightly, one or two tears blinked out. He sighed inaudibly and fought internally with his leadership duties and feelings for his friend.

_"Isaac." _Mia said as he sat beside her, _"Was… was Felix always like he is now?"_

The Valean sighed a little. Some of the stories he and Garet had told of Felix hadn't been a shining example and they had embellished the truth. Could they be blamed for that? They thought Felix was out to destroy the world, he returned with warriors who had caused the Boulder all those years ago and kidnapped his own sister. The lies just made it easier for _them_ to believe that Felix was evil now… that he was no longer the friend they once laughed with. It would have made it easier to have kill him.

_"No."_ Isaac answered honestly, _"Garet and I, we didn't give him a glowing portrait through our stories. He was never one for socialising, he preferred staying quiet, thinking, but that never stopped him from being stupid with us. I… I guess he's a lot like me. Sorry if we, you know, scared you or made you think badly of him. He's a little different nowadays, but I'd blame Prox. I'm sure he's still who he was once… somewhere."_

Mia nodded, taking in the words. She figured this may have been the case since her talk with him, but she didn't have closure yet, _"Do you remember what he was like after the Venus Beacon?"_

Oh, boy, did he. That had been a surprise for everyone. Felix had died once, to see him just jump off the Aerie for Sheba toward what should have been a certain death was a complete shock. Isaac could not say for certain if he would have done the same, even for Garet or Jenna. He told himself, deep in his heart, that he would, that he _always_ would. That didn't stop the question from creeping up though, bringing jealously with it.

_"Yeah, that was something, huh? What about it?"_

_"How was someone like him able to do it?" _Mia asked, still so utterly confused. Even if she had talked with him, and Isaac had confessed the truth of the stories, she had seen Felix on the Venus Aerie, and she had heard his stories of curses and damnation. How could someone so dark, with such a polluted and corrupted soul willingly jump to death when he had yet to fulfil his goal? How could he do it?

_"Well… he always put others before himself. That was a new extreme, but I guess… maybe he felt guilty for Sheba." _Isaac suggested, pressing on when Mia looked even more confused,_ "I mean, she was kidnapped as well… and she had no tie to anyone in their group, maybe he just wanted some kind of forgiveness for what he'd done or something. You're really asking the wrong guy. I knew who Felix used to be. He's changed now… so, I guess no one will really ever know."_

_"But… I just don't get it. I talked to him last night… and the things he told me, I just, I just _can't _understand."_ Mia tried desperately to make the puzzle pieces fit together, to create a whole personal image of Felix, but she just couldn't.

Isaac had his doubts. Felix wasn't one for conversation, especially not with someone who had, up to a few hours previous, been willing to kill him to stop him, _"What did he tell you?"_ He asked, sure it would be some elaborate story or lie.

_"He told me…"_ She paused, wondering if revealing Felix's secret was right to do, would he forgive her or breaking her trust? _"He said, he was cursed because he was lighting the Beacons. That he was fated to die when the Mars Beacon was lit. That he never wanted any of us to get involved, he just wanted to do it and die alone, while everyone else was safe."_

_"That sounds ridiculous."_ Isaac stated, keen on voicing his disbelief.

_"As ridiculous as a bunch of kids going around the world to bring back Alchemy?"_ Mia countered.

That was a good point. Isaac didn't argue, he still didn't believe Mia or Felix as it were, but there was no need to aggravate her.

_"I don't want him to die. I _can't _let him die."_ Mia whispered, more tears coming into the light, _"I have to save him, Isaac. I just _can't_ let him face all this alone."_

Isaac smiled fully. Good old Mia, she was really just too nice. She wanted to save some man she had thought evil until yesterday, _"So… you really want to save him from all that, yeah?"_ Isaac asked, the question being pure rhetoric.

Mia answered though, _"Well, I… y-yeah…"_ She mumbled, shutting herself up quickly, and hoping Isaac had not heard her.

Isaac had of course heard what she had said but thought it best not to pursue it any further. He didn't see a reason, Mia was already determined to save Felix, he didn't need to know, and by the sounds of it she didn't want him to.

Meanwhile, Mia was on the thoughts of that particular night. True, mysteries had been solved but even more arose and confused her mind. He was so resilient in the face of, what seemed to be, impending doom for him. He was determined to make sure no one else was hurt because of what he did. He was so controlled of everything and still held sanity even though his emotions were most likely trying to explode outward. Perhaps most confusing of all though…

He had opened up to her.

Why? She couldn't help the flushing colour she knew was currently showing. She had liked it. Felix wasn't evil, he was actually nice, and caring, and gentle. It caused a conflict in everything within her. She was sworn to her clan, a paragon and purist, but this feeling that burned in her chest, a warm comfort and relaxation, felt so right and amazing. She noticed her increased heart rate as she dwelled on the subject, tried to change them and failed. She decided, with a small smile, to simply enjoy them. They were good after all. Nothing that made someone feel so comfortable and safe could be wrong… Could it?

_"Mia,"_ Isaac said slowly after the, realisably long, silence, _"you'll be healed soon enough. I mean you're eating, smiling, and the colour has come back to your face."_ He laughed slightly causing Mia's cheeks to flare.

_"Isaac…"_ She sighed.

Her friend chuckled lightly, _"Sorry_…"

He sat with her, comforting her for a while longer. She healed her leg after a while and Isaac helped her walk around the room. Her earlier attempt to see Felix had reopened the wound. She had also eaten the rest of her meal, despite the fact that it was relatively cold at this point. The sky had since turned from a sombre orange and gold hue, to mystical shades of purple and blue. Several stars had appeared and glittered in the sky and, when the clouds allowed it, the moon hung above them briefly bathing the town in a soft glow.

* * *

The bottom arc of the sun kissed the rolling waves of the horizon as Sheba stared out from the soft warm sands of the beach. She felt uneasy and very vulnerable as she cast her gaze around looking for a tell-tale sign of the blonde Jupiter Adept. She could feel her cheeks burn with embarrassment. She felt like a fool, searching for a boy who might or might not be on a walk. Why did she even bother, this was ridiculous… he might not even like her. Gods, she was so stupid.

Suddenly a strong gust blew from the west and she was forced to turn away or risk the burning sands tear at her eyes. The next thing she knew the winds stopped instantly and Ivan was standing down by the waves, sheltered a little by rocks.

_"Didn't expect to see you here."_ His soft voice said as she approached him.

She smiled, blushing, as she looked at his boyish smile. Ivan though was wondering why she was here. He made a mental note to scold Isaac for this later. He wasn't even sure if he liked Sheba that way.

_"So, uh… why I kissed you then."_ Ivan started awkwardly.

Sheba waited for the answer, hoping that it wouldn't just turn her into a fool. She realised now that following was just stupid. She'd either be left embarrassed because he didn't like her, or he would just say he did to save her from that.

_"Remember the first time we met?"_ Ivan asked, still staring out at the sea.

_"Uh-huh."_ Sheba nodded, just making sounds, not words. That way he wouldn't get confused. She remembered that meeting very well. It was one of her fondest memories.

_"Well… after I thought you died I kept thinking of that. You just kinda stuck with me. Maybe I'm glad you're alive… maybe I was thankful you were there for me when I cried… but maybe, in some way, I came to like you, thinking about you so much."_

Sheba took a step closer to him, _"Really? But… but you hardly know me."_

_"True."_ Ivan nodded, _"I've been standing here, trying to figure it out. I've never liked someone in that kind of way before. So, I don't know if I like you that way."_

Sheba grabbed him by the arm, spinning him into her mouth and pressing her lips into his. The easiest way of deciding if he liked her or not. She liked him, so it was good for her anyway.

For a moment or two Ivan did nothing but stare at Sheba's closed eyes. Then he responded, kissing her back, tugging her hips and pulling her closer.

Sheba smiled through the kiss at his touch, wondering what exactly it meant.

Eventually they pulled apart. The two smiling through blazing red cheeks. Ivan scratched his head, smiling a small abashed smile. Sheba was doing the very same, trying to avoid his eyes.

_"That was… new."_ Ivan said awkwardly, _"Nice though. Very."_

Sheba looked up, to see him smiling fully. She didn't need further development, she knew what that smile meant. The only problem was the awkwardness that kiss had created.

And awkward was certainly what it was. It was the most prevalent existence between the two of them at the moment. They looked at each other, seemed to try to say something, chuckled nervously and looked away. And this exchange of stupidly awkward embarrassment continued for several minutes. What were they supposed to do exactly? It's not like there was a guidebook for this sort of thing.

Sheba had no clue, she had heard stories and that was it. Spending fourteen years of life as a trapped, protected _'miracle'_ in Lalivero tended to prevent social capability. The past year in the company of Felix, Jenna, Piers, and Kraden was the greatest source of real world experience she had ever had. Her fifteenth birthday had been something she never experienced. She had been allowed to partake of alcohol with Felix, Jenna, and even Piers! She had of course gone overboard and paid for it the next morning, but it was entirely worth it. It was the greatest birthday, perhaps day, in her entire life.

Ivan held out his hand and smiled wider. She pursed her lips in thought as she cautiously took it in hers. Ivan twisted his arm and spun her around, quickly leading her into a dance on the sands. She was surprised by his impulsive actions, but nonetheless grateful that they were doing something and something that her mind typically related to the romantic. She laughed as he kept a purposely overly exaggerated serious visage present as they spun and twirled as the sun began disappearing behind the waves.

Sheba felt her heart leap into her throat when he stopped suddenly and their faces rested no more than a few inches from each other. He smiled wider as he stared into the emerald gleam of her eyes, most likely sensing her anticipation. She licked her lips slightly, hoping it would escape his notice, however just as the tip of her tongue rested at the exact centre of her lips he leaned in.

She suddenly tensed up for a moment, but then fell into a state of deep relaxation. Her hands grasped the shoulders of his tunic and then fell to her side as he pulled her around and she leaned back. Ivan's mouth guided hers open, an entirely new sensation. She inhaled the saline air of the sea and the sands through her nose as her tongue gently danced with Ivan's.

It was so much better than earlier, she would always consider this to truly be her first kiss and she couldn't be any happier for it. It was fantastic, she couldn't quite describe it, she would have said it was like eating something very sweet, but that didn't work it was so much different and better. Her arms slowly lifted from their surrendered state of shock and happiness, and snaked around his shoulders to rest on the back of his neck.

_""WOOO! You can do it!""_

_""Forget him! Where's my hand!?""_

_""You don't have hands!""_

_""Huh… I want a couch…""_

_""Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!""_

_""Sand, sand, sand, sand, I love sand, sand, sand, sand, I love sand.""_

_""Aww… so cute!""_

_""Cute!? Bleh! Give me that Jenna chick any day! Me-ow!""_

_""What can you do with her? Actually, I don't wanna know. And since when are you a cat!?""_

_""Uh… do you guys mind?""_ Ivan questioned the Djinn in his mind, musing that their insanity was probably responsible for his own, _""Kinda trying to have a moment here.""_

_""Sorry. Get to it.""_ The nine voices rhymed back, accompanied by some more suggestive remarks and pointless thought.

Ivan slowly pulled away, but Sheba seemed to be stuck to him and pulled up with him. Sheba smiled slightly as she slowly pulled away, as embarrassed as she was for what she had done she didn't care. Ivan returned the smile with a playful tip of the head.

Grabbing her hand and leading her towards the water's edge, Ivan laughed, _"C'mon."_

The sun had nearly disappeared completely and the waters were shimmering in dazzling arrays of gold and orange tones. The sky was streaked a mirroring shade of orange and red and the stars were almost perceptible through the veil of the day's waning light. The waves gently lapped against the sands as they sat on the sands just out of the reach of the cooling waves.

Sheba took off her shoes and pulled the sand in between her toes as she gently rocked back and forth. Ivan smiled and rested his hand on her back, she was momentarily surprised and then relaxed at his touch as he gently massaged her back.

_"Sheba?"_ Ivan started slowly.

She turned and looked into his purple eyes. She laughed inwardly as she remembered the first time she had seen them. They were different now though.

_"Sheba?"_ Ivan started, a tone of unease present.

She looked up worried… this had been an emotional day as it was. She didn't want to deal with anymore.

_"Look… I might like you, or this could just be something I don't understand. I think we should stay friends for now."_ Ivan said, forcing himself not to look at the girl, _"I need time to figure this out, okay? So, I'd prefer if, just for now, we stay as friends. Forget this. I don't want to insult you or hurt your feelings or anything, okay?"_

Sheba's heart sank a little, but she nodded, understanding, _"That's fine. You take as long as you need, I probably need to too."_ She didn't want some fake relationship based solely off the passion of this moment after all. She wanted something _real_.

_"I don't want anyone saying anything and putting pressure on us or anything. I just want time."_

Sheba just snuggled her head into his shoulder, as a friend, _"We're friends till then."_

Eventually the excitement and fun of earlier returned as the awkwardness faded and they danced once more as the light faded and the sky slowly became replete with the shining luminosity of the night sky's jewels. Sheba just wondered about Ivan as they danced. It wasn't uncommon for friends to dance, and as Ivan laughed he clearly enjoyed it. This wasn't something romantic to him, it was just fun with a good friend.

Yeah, she was glad to give him time. She didn't mind. She would have loved if everything just worked like some of the stories she had heard, those romantic ones where everything is perfect, even ending with a proposal in a scene much like this one. She could wait though, she had thinking to do.

Ivan had a point. Did they like each other like that? Or, was it just the moment and everything that had led to it that made them think this? If they dove into this now and then everything faded only for them to realise it would be a mistake, the friendship for the rest of the quest would be compromised.

So, for now, friends is all they could be. Great friends dancing on a beach at sunset, the sands and wind twirling about them in a spectrum of illuminated golds.

* * *

_**Well, chapter four done.  
What did you think?  
Please do drop any thoughts you might have into a review.  
And crazy reader, I hope you get an actual profile so I could respond personally...**_

_**Well, until next time,  
Your friend and writer,  
Droory**_

_**P.S.  
See that little box underneath this?  
Yeah, that's the magical slot you drop things into for me to get a present... (hint, hint... again)**_


	5. Recovering

_**Another chapter! Woo! Been waiting for it? Good to hear, glad you really want to know what happens next.  
Well, thanks in advance for reading guys.  
Special thanks to the reviewers: **__Celestia's Paladin, crazy reader, Bonar, Noel_ _the mermaid, and TrippyToastersAndABagOfChips __**for their reviews and kind words.  
Well, then, let's get to it, shall we?**_

* * *

The shining moon outside only increased her worries. Memories of her night with Felix continued to flood to the forefront of her mind. There were more clouds filling the sky but they occasionally gave a glimpse of a perfect night. Isaac helped her up as she asked for another chance to walk around the room. All that Mia could think of though, were ebony-earth eyes. As she was gently set back on her covers she thought back to the meeting of the two parties of warriors.

_The tiny house was freezing, blustery, and claustrophobic. That wasn't even the truth of the small space though. The cold, strong, enrapturing winds weren't present. No, that feeling came from the tense air that all four of them brought with them. Mia's eyes delicately scanned the forms of her three friends_

_ Isaac's fists seemed primed to draw blood through his gloves as he clenched them tighter with every second. He stood rigid, still with rage, so still that the slightest movement would result in some quake or rift in the earth beneath them. His eyes stared directly at the door to the house, watching carefully. He waited for his former friend, the power-mad traitor bent on world-destruction to walk in and try and justify what he was doing. He would kill him._

_Garet seemed slightly more relaxed, his face was focused in some amount of rage, his hands simply hung at his sides though. Garet was usually the one who was quick to anger, but maybe he had seen or thought something that perhaps Isaac hadn't. Or maybe, he just wanted to believe that his old friend wasn't evil and that Jenna wasn't working with him. Maybe there would be some magical fix to it all. He was optimistic… but even that outcome seemed like a stretch to him._

_Ivan leaned against the wall of the house with his eyes closed, he would have seemed perfectly normal if not for the frown replacing his ever-present boyish grin. His silence though… it was so eerie. The boy was never quiet, he always did what he could to be heard, but now, in the constricting silence of the room, his silence put all of them on edge. It wasn't odd for him to get premonitions or visions in his dreams, but they had never seen him receive one during his waking hours. Perhaps now was one of those times… and they all hoped it did not spell out doom._

_Mia looked down at the hems of her robes, she didn't want to admit it but she was angry. Because of Mercury and Venus' ignition people had died. Their combined force had caused a giant tidal wave and earthquakes. All the coastal towns they had seen had been devastated, scores of empty graves were filling them. So much destruction and pointless death… why was Felix doing it? What purpose did it serve?_

_How could Felix live with himself after all he had caused?_

_The next moment the flimsy wooden door swung open. A girl with scarlet hair rushed in and crushed both Isaac and Garet in a tearful embrace. She immediately made the connection that this had to be Jenna. The two friends, disregarding all their anger for those moments hugged their friend back, squeezing her closer to them. It had been so long… she had been one of the reasons they had agreed to this insane quest. This moment really was worth it for them. Jenna then quickly backed away to the other wall._

_A blonde girl, who Mia recognised with a joyous heart as Sheba, entered afterwards and silently moved to Jenna's side without a sound. Mia wanted to smile to the girl, to run to her and hug her, so glad that she was alive, that she had survived that horrid fall from the Lighthouse. She hadn't thought it possible, but when the glimpse of her upon Jupiter lighthouse sparked that hope, Mia couldn't have been happier to see that Sheba was alive._

_Another entered, ancient deep lines set into his face around kind eyes and thick white hair, who had to be Kraden. The scholar smiled to his former pupils, offering them a humble nod of the head before he moved to the opposite side of the room where Sheba and Jenna were. Kraden was quickly followed by another._

_Mia was quickly shocked into horror by the similarity. He had long azure hair, and was clad primarily in blue. It wasn't a second afterwards that her fears were alleviated. It… it wasn't Alex… thank Mercury, it wasn't him. Mia didn't know what she may have done if it had been _him_, she might have cried, run to him and beat him, crushed him under ice, frozen him, anything… he had betrayed her… left her alone to fend for the helpless, dying, winter hamlet of Imil._ _She noticed the kind features of this new man though, this possible descendant of her own Clan, his peaceful smile, bright topaz eyes, and the immeasurable mystery in his youth._

_Then the air sank into heaviness, coldness, and dusk, as _he_ finally entered._

_Mia shivered with fear and anger. He seemed all too evil as he walked in. She was forced to look away from his cold, dead eyes as he glared furiously at his two previous friends. He moved to the centre of the room, standing defiant in front of the four who would see him dead. There was no fear in his eyes… there was _nothing_ in his eyes. All he had was hate, and all of it was being directed at the four heroes._

_The two parties stood on the opposite side of the room. A heavy oriental rug separated them like a chasm. Silence hung over them as the leaders glared each other down. This was eventually broken by an unsuspected voice._

"I believe you deserve an explanation."

_Everyone's gazes snapped to the old man on the other side of the room. Quickly the eyes of everyone snapped back to where they were, silence falling quickly again. No one could move, no one _dared_, the very act seemed like it would cut the delicate thread holding together the fabric of angered peace between the groups. Then, the one person who could step forward, the one whose existence was so important to the two leaders, moved and spoke up._

"Felix, Isaac, please."_ Jenna pleaded to the two most important men in her life, _"You'll get nothing out of this. Felix just explain to them, they'll understand."

_Isaac, never one not to listen to Jenna, exhaled a deep vehement breath through his nose. If Jenna was helping Felix voluntarily there had to be a good reason. He hoped to hell she was helping him voluntarily. Felix still did nothing._

"This will be simpler if you calm yourself, Felix."_ The voice from the blue-haired man came._

_Felix exhaled slowly, the air becoming cold with his breath. Piers was his closest advisor and confidant. He knew that what the Lemurian spoke was true, but that didn't mean he should relent. He couldn't show weakness now. It was the only way to stop his two best friends and two strangers from being dragged into this._

"Why, Felix?"_ Isaac asked, very slowly. Mia could see him struggling to keep his anger in check. _

"We had to!"_ Jenna cut in before Isaac had finished._

_Mia could see tears in her eyes. They weren't being shed, they just clung to the lids, illuminating the bright whites and vibrant reds of the Mars' Adepts eyes with a sad sheen. She saw both Isaac and Garet respond with mixed feeling of sadness and anger at the outburst, the latter for Felix._

"If we don't we're dead!"_ She cried again._

"He's threatening you!?"_ Isaac shouted back. Both he and Garet took a dangerous step toward the dark man. Felix did not move._

"Wait…"_ A quiet voice drifted out, _"It's not like that. We're doing it willingly."

_Everyone turned to look at Sheba. Her eyes were fixed on a point in the wall opposite her._

"Perhaps I should explain."_ The topaz eyed man started, _"I am Piers, a Lemurian."

_Mia and her friends were forced to stare directly at him. They had been looking for Lemuria as well. To meet a resident of it, a resident helping Felix, was impossible. So… this man was a Lemurian, a man who may have seen the world since the Golden Age fall from its former glory. It would make sense that he would want to see the previous world restored to how he remembered it… he had motive to go along with Felix's insanity. Jenna and Sheba though? Their cooperation was still a mystery…maybe they were being forced, _threatened_, by Felix._

"My King sent me out to explore the world and chart the land. He believed that since the sealing of Alchemy, the world was dying. A tidal wave blew me off course and… long story short, Felix, Jenna, Sheba, and Kraden, helped me. When we returned to Lemuria we confirmed that the world had shrunk considerably since the Golden Age. Essentially, if Alchemy is not returned we will all eventually die."

"Moreover, now that three Beacons have been lit," _Kraden piped up, _"the world is unbalanced. If the Mars Beacon is not lit the world will slowly freeze as well."

_Mia froze suddenly. What? What!? Felix was the one _saving_ the world!? Him!? She and her friends were the bad guys? Felix was the flawless hero!? She was evil!? That wasn't right! That was not true! Felix could not be good! Not after all he had caused. Not after Venus Lighthouse. He was evil! He was just lying to confuse them so he could kill them! He couldn't be the hero. They were the heroes! That was how it worked!_

"Do you expect us to just believe you?" _Isaac shot sardonically._

_Mia smirked, internally of course. At least she wasn't the only one feeling the horror of the lies the others were spouting. But, she shied away, afraid of the conflict that was soon to arise. She didn't want to fight. Surely that meant having to fight Jenna and Sheba. Isaac and Garet wouldn't want to fight Jenna or Sheba, doubtful they would fight Felix either. She would though, he couldn't trick her._

"Ivan, confirm this." _Isaac ordered._

_The young boy looked up, fearful. He didn't want to read the minds of unfriendly Adepts. They were capable of harming his mind with their Psynergy as he probed. He could be rendered comatose or worse._

"It's okay, Ivan."_ The quiet voice of Sheba spoke._

_Mia narrowed her eyes wondering why Ivan should trust her, or why she should trust Ivan. They might both be Jupiter Adepts, from what she knew, but that was no reason for blind trust. Regardless, Ivan stepped forward and the two met at the centre of the room. They held their hands to each other's faces and their glow enveloped them. Mia's eyes caught the sight of shadows cast on Felix from the light and was forced to look away from the soulless man._

_After several minutes the glow finally faded. Sheba retreated back to the safety that was behind Felix and Ivan retreated behind Isaac._

"They're telling the truth." _He muttered quickly._

"She could easily have lied, Ivan." _Isaac responded quickly._

"Would I, Isaac?" _Jenna asked, stepping past Felix._

_Isaac shot around to look at the girl. Faint sounds escaped him before he hung his head in defeat. He couldn't argue with both the words of his mind-reader and his best friend. He grumbled and Jenna pulled him into a hug._

_Nothing was made better though, Felix was still silent. He had something to say, and whatever it was might not be pleasant._

"I don't want your help." _Felix barked harshly, _"Go home, all four of you. Take Sheba and my sister with you. I'll finish this."

"No chance." _Garet smirked, _"We're in this, man. Whether you like it or not."

"Go. Home." _Felix repeated clearly._

"Felix." _Piers said suddenly, _"Be reasonable."

_Felix turned to scowl at the Lemurian, _"You were given this quest, Piers. I can't tell you to go home."

"Surely, the fact that I've been banished helps?" _Piers smirked._

_Then Mia saw something shocking. From the shadowed surface of whatever she could see of Felix's face, she saw his mouth. She saw it quirk upwards, only slightly, but it definitely happened. Which meant that… Felix could smile? Even someone like _him_ could smile and show happiness?_

"Yes, you're here for it. I can't get there without you. Well, your ship." _Felix returned, his small smirk still present._

_Felix? Making a joke? What was happening?_

"Let them join, Felix." _Piers stated, _"If they want to, of course."

"Hey, entire reason for this was to save the world."_ Garet smirked wide, _"I'm in. how 'bout it guys?"

"Alright, I'll do it." _Ivan said with a small smile, _"I'm just here for fun anyway."

"I'm in." _Isaac stated. All eyes turned to Mia. She was reluctant, though she wouldn't admit it. Her entire reasoning for joining the others was to stop Alex, and he was gone. What else could she do?_

"I suppose I don't have a choice."_ She mumbled, trying to hide her reluctance behind humour._

_Smiles broke out across several faces. Isaac, Garet and Jenna beamed to each other and moved to a corner to quickly catch up. Ivan and Sheba began talking together. Piers, Felix, and Kraden, were whispering to each other in another corner. Mia leaned against the wall, staring at the floor. Her hair hung over her face, hiding her frown. Eventually her thoughts became blank and focused on the functions of her body. She became interested in the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed or the swish of her dress as she moved. She focused on it, moving her legs to sway the fabric differently._

_Then she felt something. There was someone beside her. She looked up with a hopeful smile. This quickly died as Felix's dark eyes came into view. She shuddered, trying to hide it, and struggled to keep her smile._

"You're uncomfortable."_ Felix stated simply._

_Mia tried to respond, but she was afraid and still angry._

"I don't blame you."_ He continued, _"Perhaps you should try and acquaint yourself with the others."

_He gave a humble nod and made to leave. She couldn't lose to him. He couldn't be nicer than her. That was cheating. So she spoke up._

"Um… hi."_ She said bashfully._

_Felix turned around with an inquisitive eyebrow. There seemed to be another semblance of a quirk of the lips. He leaned on the wall next to her. They were mostly silent, but they spoke to each other occasionally. They talked more when the others joined them._

_"Well, looks like you'll be getting visitors."_

Isaac's voice broke her from memory. She felt guilty that maybe he had been talking to her and she had been too absorbed in her thought to respond. She heard hurried footsteps outside and Isaac was looking out the window.

_"Who?" _She asked.

Her question was answered a moment later as the two Jupiter Adepts wandered in casually, smiling wide to each other. The moment they realised Mia was better, all there was were colours and movement in a loving flurry as they leapt to her side, pulling her into a hug. Mia, incredibly surprised by the sudden constrictions and movements the younger Adepts pulled her into, did her best to return the hug and assure them she was okay.

_"I can't believe I wasn't here when you got better!"_ Sheba cried out, Mia swore she felt a wet patch grow on her arms where Sheba's face was.

_"Sheba was the one looking after you while you were out."_ Isaac explained.

Mia nodded and turned to the girl who was still buried in the hug, _"Thank you, Sheba."_

Mia didn't really know, nor would she ever, how Sheba felt now that Mia was better. After all, she had betrayed poor Mia, she had run and left her to face what she was going through alone, because she had been too weak to help her. She had been too weak to even imagine facing what Mia was, let alone having to face it herself, so she had run away, when Mia was helpless. Now she was better though, and it was okay. Even though Mia never knew of the betrayal and she could never forgive her because of the lack of that knowledge, Sheba felt better.

Sheba nodded into the hug, before she pulled away, also allowing Ivan the room for freedom as she did, _"You're welcome."_ The young girl beamed as fully as she could, hoping the glint of tears in her eyes wasn't overly noticeable.

Ivan smiled to his friend as he took a seat at the end of her bed, _"It's great to see you back, Mia. We were all on edge without our darling healer."_ He laughed, bringing the same from the rest of them.

_"Thanks, Ivan."_ She smiled, her full angel smile, _"What were you two doing out so late? Romantic night?"_

Sheba tried not to blush, thankfully Ivan was quick on the defence and had a story ready, _"As I said, we were all on edge. It was very emotional for the past few hours. I needed to take a walk to calm down a bit, make sure I didn't overload. Sheba had done the same. We met up and just talked, helped each other get over whatever we might be feeling. I'd say it was good for us, cleared our heads, you know?"_ Ivan explained, gesturing to Sheba, _"Plus, it was a good way to get to know each other."_

Isaac glanced between the two of them, clearly expecting more to have happened. He didn't say anything though, as Mia seemed to feel guilty about causing such feelings amongst everyone, once again Ivan was quick to answer this.

_"Hey, don't worry about it. If it was anyone else it would be the same, and Felix is that someone else right now. Don't blame yourself."_ He said brightly, though it had that sombre quality of the entire situation carried with it.

Mia smiled, accepting Ivan's words. She knew it all to be true, if it had been another and not her who was hurt they would probably be going through the same. Then again, if she wasn't hurt, she could have healed whoever was with Piers and there would be no problem… she hoped Felix was okay… that he would last until she could save him.

_"Hey, Mia, I'm going to go check on Jenna. Hopefully these two can keep you entertained almost as much as I did."_ Isaac smiled wide, to which Mia responded with her own and a nod, and he moved to Ivan's side, bringing his mouth to his ear, _"What happened?"_

_"Nothing, sorry to disappoint you."_ Ivan responded dryly, not at all amused by Isaac's attempts, _"And for future reference, I'd prefer if you'd stay out of my personal life."_

Isaac was slightly put off by Ivan's response, but didn't question it, _"Sorry. I just wanted someone to be happy today."_

_"I get that, but, that's not the way to do it. Go cheer up Jenna."_ Ivan said, pulling away and smiling to Isaac to hide the argument.

Isaac nodded to the three others in the room before he went to find his two oldest Isaac walked from the room he heard light-hearted chatter and laughter behind him. And, for the first time since the accident, Isaac was able to smile fully. In his smile was complete relief at last, true there was still the tension and worry for Jenna and Felix, but the immediate weight from his shoulders was lifted.

* * *

Garet didn't know what to do for his friend. Since seeing Felix, Jenna had been dead-silent, just letting the tears drip from her eyes and into her lap. He knew it wasn't a good idea to let Felix be seen in that state by Jenna… but they had hit that point, the point where it was futile to deny her that privilege. He hated having to do it, to let her see her only family scarred and broken like that. She had been through so much pain when it came to Felix… this was just another emotional scar for her soul… an already much too scarred soul.

Garet caught sight of Isaac running down the stairs. He raised his arm for the man as he glanced around in search of them. Isaac rushed over faster than it seemed possible and was in the seat closest to Jenna in a heartbeat. He took one long sad look at the girl then quickly glanced at Garet.

Garet leaned closer to whisper to him, "_She's pretty bad. Seeing Felix like that really shook her up, she hasn't spoken since we came down here. I tried what I could… nothing works she just… she just stares…"_

Garet didn't know what to say or do. This was Isaac's expertise, he was always the one to help Jenna through everything… Garet just didn't have the knack for it that Isaac seemed to. He rested back in his seat, watching the scene carefully, waiting for Isaac to work his magic and bring Jenna out of this. If there was anyone who could do it, it was the man who always had.

Isaac reached across, placing a tender hand on the girl's sunken shoulder. He gave it a light squeeze, hoping that one gesture would let her know that, no matter what, Garet and he would always be there for her. She just shuddered slightly at his touch, took a slow glance at his hand and returned her gaze to the floor. Isaac took another glance at Garet, who shrugged with an expression that told he had tried that and received the same response.

_"Jenna?"_ Isaac spoke softly, _"Jenna, will you please look at me?"_

Jenna slowly lifted her head. Her crimson locks fell over her eyes, becoming slick and stuck to her face as the multitude of tears ran through them from her eyes… her eyes. They had lost that spark, that one of life and brightness she always had, they were just empty and glassy… so alike her brother's.

Isaac brushed the hair out of her face and smiled sadly, _"Jenna, I know that must have been very difficult for you to see, but please try and be strong."_ Jenna, said nothing in response, turning her gaze back to the floor, just not hearing, or choosing not to, the words Isaac tried to reassure her with, _"Jenna? Don't worry. Mia's making a fast recovery. Soon she'll be able to help Piers heal him, you'll see. By tomorrow Felix will be awake and be able to talk."_

At his words, Jenna's face shot up to stare at him, the Fire of Mars exploding back into her eyes. Isaac withdrew his hand from her shoulder, the livid rage at the words coursing through her, _"How could you possibly know that?"_ She croaked, her voice more hoarse than ever, _"Did you even take one look at my brother since we found him? Have you seen him at all? Even if Mia and Piers use all of their Psynergy they'll ever be able to heal him fully."_

Garet backed away a little, trying to escape notice as Jenna's rage was fixed on Isaac. Psynergetic rings began to slowly travel up the course of her body, sparks crackling and devouring oxygen pockets around her. Isaac could not back away, not just because it could never escape notice, but because it would not be right. Trying his best to seem understanding and reasoning, Isaac attempted to calm the girl down.

_ "Jenna, please calm down, everything will be alri-"_ Isaac started.

_"DON'T TELL ME EVERYTHING'S GOING TO BE ALRIGHT!"_ She screamed, full flames sparking around her. All of the occupants of the lobby had been eyeing the scene with some interest, and upon seeing the fire ran from the inn.

Isaac reached his hand out again hoping to calm her, _"Jenna-"_

_"DON'T TOUCH ME!" _

Her Psynergy peaked causing the table and Isaac's chair burst into flame. He jumped off his chair just in time, his tunic singed by the flames. Jenna burst into tears as Isaac just left, turning away and marching back upstairs, tears trailing to the floor behind him. He cried for Jenna he couldn't imagine what she'd been through.

Garet stood up as Jenna ran away, running to escape the pain, slamming the door of the inn behind her. He took a quick glance in Isaac's direction, the man had stopped at the stairway, before marching on. Garet sighed deeply, chasing after his friend, needing to be the stronger man in this case and go after his friend, not try to get Isaac to be the one to do it. It would be what Isaac would want anyway.

Within a second he was outside the inn, looking around in the torch-light of the town for any trace of his best friend, but she was gone. She could be gone anywhere, and it was exactly this that put Felix and Mia in their situation earlier. None of them needed Jenna suffering that too. Garet didn't let thoughts enter his head as he ran, all he had was finding Jenna. That was it. He didn't dare think of what may happen if he didn't get to her in time. He wasn't a healer, and Mia and Piers would not be able to save her. He had to find her.

He had to find her.

* * *

Piers struggled to keep himself conscious. He could feel himself slipping into the very same realm that Felix currently occupied, but if he did fall into that world, Felix would not be there for long. Every moment that passed Felix's condition worsened, slowly deteriorating and dragging Piers' first real world friend into death. Piers tried to force his Psynergy to continue, not to falter, to persevere and stay strong for the man who had so much weighing on his soul.

He couldn't lose another. Not after he had lost his mother. He couldn't lose Felix too. Not just for him, but for Jenna, for all of them. Whether they knew it or not, they all needed Felix for this quest. Only _he_ could properly lead them to the unwelcome end that waited for them at the precipice of the Northern Lighthouse of Flame. Isaac was a competent leader, ass was piers himself, but neither of them had the sheer strength of will and conviction that Felix so easily possessed. That same force that turned him into what he was now.

That same force that was driving him into the fate he seemed to welcome without any care.

He looked up suddenly, widening his eyes in his attempt to keep conscious, only now realising that Isaac was at his side. The man's hand was squeezing his arm tight and the Valean accent was shouting his name. He looked around as best he could, keeping all of his focus on the man beneath him. The mental healing hold he had within his body was deteriorating around him, all his work crumbling away.

_"Piers!"_ Isaac was swimming before his vision, he barely even heard the voice now, _"Stop… I'll… Mia… heal!"_

Piers shook his head, blearily returning to his work, unsure of what the man had said. Without prior warning, or maybe there was and it had escaped his notice, Piers felt himself fall backwards into the wall. The contact woke him up slightly, but he was still in no condition to return to healing. Isaac had stolen his place, his Psynergy flaring in powerful waves as he forced his lesser healing powers through Felix's broken body. He didn't realise he did not have the potential nor the knowledge of how to heal the leader.

Mia was standing, supported gingerly by the Wind Adept's miles away on the other side of the bed. Mia and Sheba looked down, he thought, but their faces were entirely blurred by the haze which his exhaustion had brought on him. He felt himself sliding down the cool wooden panelling of the wall, but he did not reach the floor. Instead, his body found a shoulder to which all of his weight was applied, before he was unceremoniously thrown onto the nearest empty bed.

And he would have slipped away right there, if not for Ivan. The boy utilised his Psynergy to send sporadic shocks of energy through his body accompanied by very prominent slaps to the face. This did nothing more than serve to keep him alert though, his Psynergy was nowhere near capable of helping Mia or Isaac save Felix. All of his Djinn were completely spent too, so even if he managed to recover his Psynergy, he would not be at his usual level. Time would be needed, time they did not have, for his Djinn to set themselves into their powers again.

The twin Jupiter spirits of Ether and Aroma spun around his form, rejuvenating much of his lost Psynergy, but that made nothing better. Indeed, he was no longer on the verge of collapse from Psynergy-exhaustion, but he still did not have the capabilities to heal Felix to the extent that was needed. His Djinn hadn't even begun to reset themselves yet.

* * *

Mia watched tentatively as Isaac slowly let Felix's life slip further and further away. Isaac should have known that he could not even begin to try to save him. Already Mia could see the obvious signs of fatigue and exhaustion raging through Isaac's body. All she was allowed do, being forced back down every time she tried to intervene, was watch as Isaac continued to fail and wait for Piers' and her Psynergy to reach the necessary levels.

She tried not to let any tears show. She so wanted to just push Isaac away and take over, give Felix some hope for survival. While she tended to him, Piers and Isaac could work, Kraden may be able to create some potion as he did for her, maybe the town healer could complete the work. But, what if she couldn't hold out for long enough? What if, because of her actions, her impatience, her stupidity, Felix died? What if he died because of her, before she could save him from his horrible fate? She'd prefer to die if that was the case.

She blinked twice as Isaac's Psynergy sparked and cracked as it began to wane. He looked up, his eyes looking directly meeting Mia's. He swallowed hard, coughing out whatever air his tired lungs allowed. Mia stood up, gesturing to Piers. The man, recovered enough to stand and move without support, ran to Isaac's side. Isaac glanced around twice, looking everyone in the eye quickly, and his Psynergetic-aura took on a golden-yellow hue for the last few seconds.

Isaac collapsed to the ground, before quickly being carried away by the two Jupiter Adepts. Felix, he was conscious now though. His body writhed in whatever horrific pain he was suffering. His eyes open but they saw nothing, they stared upward, a film of dull grey confusion clouded over them. Mia and Piers' Psynergy had exploded into action at the very moment Isaac's failed. It seemed to do nothing for him though, his form continued to spasm under whatever he was being subjected to.

Mia tried desperately from the very beginning. Tapping into the strongest Psynergies her body would allow, searching deep within her spirit for lost powers from the lost age. Moving through Felix's life force she saw the damage everywhere, not just to his physical form, but to his mental, emotional, and spiritual state. She could see all the pain that the man had suffered in his lifetime and wanted more than anything to search through it all so she knew what to do when the time came to help him out of it. So much of it was stained with the colours of rot and hopelessness.

She couldn't though, she had to heal him. What use was it to know what had turned him into what he was if she was unable to stop his death _now_? She shook her head, returning her focus to the physically damaged parts of Felix, all she hoped for him would have to wait. There were the tears and gashes to tend to, the faint current of electricity that was still present in his bloodstream which kept the toxin strong and lively. She had never encountered poison such as this before, none of them had been poisoned in the Lighthouse, so she was unsure of how to face it. She took a deep breath and calmed herself. Piers was here as well. It would be okay if she just took a moment to think.

The poison would have to be destroyed first, all other healing attempts were void if they didn't cure him of this. Running every anti-toxin Psynergy she knew through the tainted blood, Mia strained to find something that had an effect. Growing increasingly frustrated as her Psynergy only served to slow the poisons, Mia's hope finally ignited when at last she discovered the correct power. She manipulated it around the bloodstream, searching out whatever trace of the venom remained and utterly purging it. The sickly green glow within Felix's life-force slowly diminished, replaced by the mixed tones of Mercury's cerulean and his own dark greens and browns.

Feeling much more secure in the fact that Felix was now recovering thanks to herself and Piers, Mia pressed on, searching out the physical damage. Each tear and cut was a black rip through his internal essence, a void that slowly expanded as it devoured life. She often met Piers force at a wound and they worked together to heal and close it before dashing off to find another. They moved quickly doing what they could, but Piers' Psynergy was failing fast and she could feel the same happening to her.

The Jupiter Adepts behind them could do little but sit there in awe and fear. The healers had done such a wonderful job so far, and the Psynergetic rings that were running from head to toe were growing weaker to battle this. They wished they had any Psynergy crystals left, but all of them had been expended when they had assaulted the Lighthouse yesterday. Unfortunately, no shops, mistaking one for a jewel or pretty trinket, had any to spare. All they could do was watch and hope. They sat, squeezing each other's hands believing that everything would be alright.

Then, something happened that everyone had seen coming, but not so soon. Piers' entirely collapsed, his Psynergy and Djinn completely used and exhausted. The two Adepts jumped to his side and rest him on a bed. Mia though, Piers sudden departure from healing Felix reverberated around her. It was painfully obvious that she was now the only one tending him. She refused to believe that she would fail now though. Together they had done so much, and now so little was left to do for the young healer. Her Psynergy fought this belief though, its potency was declining fast, so it was really a test of which would win the race. Healing or exhaustion?

Time passed and all wounds were healed save for the large one that was created to save her. And now Mia was on her last legs. Her physical state, viewable by Ivan and Sheba, was terrible. She had slowly fallen to her knees, she squeezed Felix's hand in hers, sweat pouring from her, and her Psynergetic aura continued to decline. The spiritual healing state within Felix's body fluttered and cracked with the effort to keep itself rooted in that world. She came to the wound to find the daunting task that lay before her, the dark rift, so close to the beating pulse of his heart revealed so much. It showed the wound, the giant dark chasm that needed to be repaired, but she could see the areas near his heart. They were so stained and weakened, not in any physical way, yet there was one source that was foreign, but not malignant. It was a white light, thin and small, but it seemed to be fighting off all around it and growing. It wasn't what once remained of his hope… no, it was something new.

Inspired by that small light that was fighting so much darkness Mia turned to the chasm and forced all that she had at it. The blues and whites of Mercury poured into the nothing that was there, bringing back form and essence. The chasm gained a wall which slowly came closer to the surface and met the natural area. It was still separated from all other parts of Felix's life force and still stained as a wound, but Mia's Psynergy was fighting that fast. Felix's life began to reattach to the wound, and in the physical world flesh and muscle was returning, and the colours of Mercury began to spill into the centre where they worked to purge the wound.

Then, Mia lost all consciousness.

* * *

Sulking and loathing among the small tufts of grass around the Anemos Crater was what had possessed her for the entire time. She knew she shouldn't have exploded like that. Isaac had been so patient with her, everyone had, they were all so supportive and understanding. They had endured her voicing her fears and worries repeatedly and still comforted her. She sniffed and wiped her nose with her sleeve. The entire situation was made worse by the knowledge that no one had chased after her, trying to calm her and reassure her. They must have thought that perhaps she would like some time alone or, even worse, had just given up on her.

A choked sob escaped her throat as the thought entered her mind. Was that really how they might have felt? She couldn't help but think so. She had been nothing but another source of worry in the already strained situation. She gently glowed with Psynergy and watched as her hand engulfed itself in flame. She wished that the flames she produced could hurt her, so that she could feel something other than the pain of sadness. She picked up a lone flower amidst the grass, watching, with little care, as the flame engulfed it and it fell from her hand as nothing more than ash.

Pressing her hand against her face, she felt the familiar strange sensation run over it. The feeling of a warm sheet gently wisped against her skin as the flames softly wrapped around her. She stood up as her tears evaporated in the flame and slowly stumbled down into the centre of the immense crater. Alone with her thoughts, she walked as nature slowly left her behind and she now was only surrounded by the discarded rocks of the ancients. Her mind was numb as she lay down on the jagged floor beneath her, so much so that the pain of several protruding spikes of earth digging into her didn't register with her mind. She completely engulfed her body in flame, always wondering how it didn't hurt her or reduce her clothes to cinders. She stared up to the sky, replete with thousands of tiny diamonds, if she had been with anyone at that moment and if all was well, it would have been an incredibly romantic night, but her thoughts were on darker things.

Her mind tried to find the last moment when she had shown she cared for Felix, told him how much she cared, or hugged him, anything. She couldn't remember and the cracked, strained dam that had kept her emotions at bay collapsed and the chaos that ensued flowed from her eyes. She batted angrily at her eyes, as the occasional choked breath escaped alone, with nothing but her torn emotions, no one would come to help her, no one could help her, and it was her fault. The last words she could remember saying to her brother were a simple _'Good morning'_.

Choked sobs and spluttered wails escaped her and echoed off the rocks of the crater. What kind of person was she? What kind of sister? All she had thought about since Felix was injured was that she'd be alone and she'd have no one. No worry about what Felix was leaving, just her. She hated herself at that moment and more silent tears flowed from her eyes only to evaporate as they left her eyes from the intense heat of the flames that engulfed her. She wished she had a shoulder to lean on, a comforting hand to reassure her or monsters to fight, anything to distract from what she felt.

Eventually her senses grew numb from the constant barrage she had dealt to herself. She couldn't cry anymore, tears wouldn't form, her voice had long since given away and she couldn't make a sound. She lifted her hand up to the sky and fired showers of sparks from her fingers, not for entertainment, not a signal to someone or something to do, she was barely aware that she was doing it. They got caught on the wind and were carried toward Contigo.

_"JENNA!"_

She turned her head slightly. She was almost sure she had imagined someone calling to her.

_""No one's gonna look for me… stupid.""_ Her mind sighed.

_"JE-NNA!"_

She sat up slightly and looked around, that seemed a little more real. It was then she became aware of the pain the ground had caused her and she jumped up. Then she caught sight of the tall, spiky hair of Garet around the rim of the crater. He continually called to her as she climbed back out of the crater, barely extinguishing the flames engulfing her, before reaching the grass and flowers again. The night's chill became painfully apparent as the warmth that enveloped her vanished and freezing winds bit at her.

Garet pulled her into a hug immediately, holding her close, whispering that he was so worried for her. Then, just as quickly, he released her, grabbed her arm and began running, no words or explanation, just running, running toward the inn that she never wanted to be near again.

That inn where everyone hated her.

That inn where her brother would die.

* * *

Felix's body jerked upward, his breathing fast and deep. Fresh clean air flooded into his lungs with each breath, renewing him with each and every one. It actually hurt to feel so alive after being in a state of such near death for gods only know how long. He gasped twice, feeling a shooting pain like fire in his chest. Seeing a ghastly star that stretched across his chest that still bled, Felix worked as potent a cure his body could muster. The yellow orbs of Venus' healing Psynergies swirled around his chest before fusing into and entirely sealing the wound. If it hadn't been fully healed then that meant…

_Wyvern attacking Mia…_

_"Mia!"_ His mouth somehow managed to shout.

He looked around desperately before Mia's collapsed form beside him finally reached his view, that and the tingle of her hand sliding out of his with his movement. It registered somewhere in his mind that two voices were calling him and that there were four other bodies in this room. He didn't care though. He rolled onto his side bringing himself closer. The movement caused him to fall off the bed and crash down beside Mia.

The cold wood of the inn floor was like icy knives stabbing into each contact point. He disregarded the pain, reaching out to shake Mia's body. She was unresponsive. He shook her more frantically, hoping to the gods that she was alright. There was no sound from her, and Felix began to panic. He brought his hand in front of her face. A joyous sigh of relief escaped him as the reassuring feeling of warm breath against his hand let him know she was alive.

Then she was lifted from his sight and carried away to some out of focus area that may as well have been all the way back in Imil. Felix lay on the floor, closing his eyes, finally feeling the fatigue of his battle, his healing and his recovery. As long as everyone was okay, it was fine. He could rest easy, as easy as he was ever allowed anyway, for the time being. Two voices began to enter his ears again, and opening his eyes and looking through his hazy vision the forms of Ivan and Sheba appeared.

_"Are you okay?"_ Sheba asked as she kneeled beside him.

Ivan crouched across from her, _"Later, Sheba. Help me get him back in bed, Jenna'll flip if she finds out we let him fall. C'mon Felix," _Ivan joked as he tried to lift him from the ground, _"I know you're tired but try and help a little here."_

Felix pushed himself up from the floor as best he could, feeling the arms of the two Wind Adepts snake under his. The comfort of his bed returned to him quickly, and he moved himself into a sitting position, Sheba quickly rearranged his pillow for him. Looking around the room once again, Felix took in the sights of everything. Sheba was beaming to him, tears were in her eyes. Ivan was smirking at him and had his arm around Sheba, saying that he told her _'there was nothing to worry about'._ Piers, Isaac, and Mia were all lying down on the other beds of the room. None of them seemed as though they had chosen that.

_"How are they?"_ Felix asked, gesturing to the three Adepts.

_"Well, you're fine for a start."_ Ivan said, _"That's something, huh? Those idiots all passed out because they wouldn't listen to me. I told them a little electroshock treatment was what you needed to get better, but nooooo, that was too much of a _'radical'_ approach. They wanted to go the _'traditional' _way of _'healing'_ you. They're no fun at all."_ Ivan laughed, but Felix was not amused, _"And I take it you're not gonna be much fun for about ten minutes, so I'll let Sheba do the talking."_

Sheba was giggling to herself, finding Ivan and Felix's reaction to him very amusing indeed, _"They're all fine Felix, don't worry. They've been through worse than having to heal you. You should rest though, we'll go get Jenna and the others, okay?"_

The two Adepts left to search for those absent from the group at the minute. Ivan continued his speech and reasoning to Sheba that his idea of electroshock would have been a fool-proof method. Sheba simply responding that the only problem was that the _fool-proof'_ idea had been spawned by an absolute fool. Their argument continued until their voices escaped Felix's current hearing capabilities.

He looked over to Mia. She was so pale. He wondered what had happened during his absence, or what had happened to her after he had lost consciousness down on the plains. Had she been injured too? Had he led her to some unnecessary misfortune? Maybe he had torn this new group apart so soon after they joined.

Frantic footsteps came into earshot, but by the time Felix had time to turn the door had already swung open and his sister had pulled him into a hug of such force it threatened to return him to unconsciousness. He wrapped his arms around his sister as best he could, acknowledging the return of Ivan and Sheba along with Garet and Kraden.

_"You idiot!"_ Jenna fumed, banging her fists against his shoulders, _"What the hell's wrong with you, going and getting hurt like that!? Did you forget how much I. Care. About. You!?"_ She yelled, landing a fist into him with each word. She buried herself into the hug again, her words spent.

Felix smiled a little, _"Sorry, Jenna. I didn't mean it."_ He turned his eyes to the others at the door, _"Hello Garet, Kraden."_

_"Good to see you back, man. You missed some crazy shenanigans while you were out."_ Garet smiled, saluting the Venus Adept.

_"Shenani-what?"_ Sheba interjected, _"What kind of word is that?"_

_"It kinda means crazy stuff that happened."_ Ivan explained, _"He uses it every now and then. Just ignore him and he'll go away."_

_"Ah, hush it, squirt."_ Garet laughed, waving away their comments.

_"Well, I'm not sure if the message is clear, but we are all glad to see you well, Felix."_ Kraden commented, _"It was quite the bonding experience amongst everyone as I understand, you'll be happy to hear, aside from some heartache and angst."_

Felix nodded, understanding all that, Jenna was still crushing him in a loving hug after all. It was rather obvious what she had been through over the course of his absence. He placed his hand atop his sister's head, ruffling the locks of crimson hair. She brought her face from the hug, tears streaked along it but she was beaming fully. Felix smiled back a little. The rest of the group said their goodbye's stating they were returning to the lobby.

_"Don't worry me like that again."_ Jenna stated, furrowing her brow a little.

Felix tilted his head a little, Jenna often got like this whenever he was injured, _"Were you okay?"_

Jenna shook her head, sighing through her nose a little, _"No… but Isaac and Garet really did their best to help me through it."_

_"Like old times then?"_ Felix asked.

Jenna nodded, smiling fully, _"Yeah… yeah it kinda was. Hopefully the next time something's like the old days it will actually be fun. Don't suppose you'd be joining in on that physical flashback though?"_ She asked, knowing of Felix's usual distaste for doing something fun nowadays.

Felix shrugged, _"I might see my way to doing something stupid and fun… 'might' being the key word of that sentence."_

Jenna laughed and pulled her brother into a hug again, _"It… it's good to have you back, Felix. I don't say this enough but… I love you. Don't do anything stupid like that again, or I'll have to kill you myself."_

Felix smiled, hugging his sister closer, _"I love you too, Jenna. And I won't. I promise."_

Jenna squeezed into the hug for a second or two before she released him, _"Well, I'll let you get some rest. I'm expecting better apologies and apologetic gifts and food and stuff from you when you're better in the morning, got it?"_

Felix nodded, sliding down into his bed again. Jenna moved his pillow and tossed his blanket over him. She beamed to him as she tucked her own brother into bed, laughing and acting as though she was their mother. Then, whispering a final good night to him, she extinguished the lantern in the room and left.

Felix, fully smiling to himself, turned onto his side and shut his eyes. Maybe getting himself injured wasn't the worst thing to happen the group, maybe it had actually been something positive after all. With that thought, Felix drifted into the first restful sleep he had managed in a long time.

* * *

_**And that's chapter five! Woo! Making progress!  
This chapter went through some **_major_** revision and I'm glad it did, because I think it's far better now.  
Sooooo? What did you think? Please drop a review and tell me, they're always good fun to get**** and**** read.**_

_**Anyway, I suppose me asking won't sway you're decision for reviews,  
Until next time guys,  
Your friend and writer,  
Droory**_


	6. Hope Returned

_**On to chapter 6 then.  
But first! A thanks to any and all who are reading this and of course, my very special thanks to the people who have taken time to review.  
So,**__ Celestia's Paladin, crazy reader, Bonar, Noel_ _the mermaid, TrippyToastersAndABagOfChips _, _and Golden Sun Guy 17_, _**thanks plenty for the reviews. I'm glad you did it.  
Well, then, to the chapter I suppose.**_

* * *

Piers was nearly knocked clean off his feet by the bear hug he received from Jenna when he descended the stairs the next morning. All the wind left his body as his tired and strained back continued to crack while the Mars girl squeezed him closer. When at last the ability returned to him, Piers returned the hug as tenderly as he could. Jenna muffled something inaudible into his chest, but he did not ask her what, he just placed his hand softly on her back and patted her reassuringly.

She turned her head to look up to him, _"Thank you so much, Piers."_ She beamed with her eyes and cheeks glittering with joyous tears.

Piers nodded and smiled down to her, using the end of his bandanna to wipe her tears away. He was glad he was able to save Jenna from such a horrible life of loneliness and sadness. He didn't dare imagine what may have happened had they lost Felix. They would most likely have lost Jenna too. They would have fallen apart. Isaac probably would have done what he could, but it wouldn't be the same.

_"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!"_ She repeated, kissing him on each cheek and squeezing him closer, resulting in several more cracks from his back, _"Can I do anything for you? Do you want some food or anything?"_ She said kindly, as she dragged him to a nearby table.

_"No, Jenna, thank you, really. But for now I just want to rest I am quite exhausted."_ He yawned in return stretching out wide.

She nodded slightly, _"Okay if there's ever anything you…"_

Piers held up her hand and she stopped, _"Thank you, Jenna. I am very appreciative."_ He said truthfully.

_"Sorry… it's just… well if it wasn't for you Felix would…"_ Fresh tears formed in her eyes as she spoke.

Piers quickly moved from his seat to her side and put his arm around her. Fresh tears squeezed out from Jenna's eyelids as she brought her head down to rest on Piers' shoulder. He wiped them away with his bandanna again and made a mental note to keep a small handkerchief with him from now on.

_"I mean you took care of Felix and Mia before we got to him, Chill guided us to you and then you did everything while we tried to heal Mia and just… Thanks, Piers."_ She smiled again.

_"You're very welcome, Jenna."_ Piers smiled, though he sighed mentally, it was far too early for him to be up especially after how much he had taxed himself yesterday, _"Is no one else up?"_

She shook her head and frowned slightly, _"They're all asleep, how's Felix?"_

_"Fine… from what I could tell anyway. He's resting peacefully at least."_ Piers answered, _"Are we the only two up in the whole inn?"_

Jenna shrugged, assuming that was the current situation. Smirking in response Piers released his Djinn, allowing them freedom for the first time in a while. Jenna, initially thinking it was a bad idea until Piers coaxed her to think otherwise, released hers as well. The Mars Djinn were taller than the other Djinn, but not as broad as Venus or Mercury's. The most noticeable difference between them was the obvious difference between head and body. They were a bright crimson with deep orange midriffs, they had tails resembling that of flames, they had short spiked ears atop their heads and bright blue orbs for eyes. They were always warm and comforting to hold, like a soft, warm pillow.

She smiled at the group of opposite elementals hopping around the room, and then an idea formed for Jenna,_ "Chill?"_ She called out to all the identical blue Djinn in the room.

All the Djinn were currently locked in a heated debate about whether they should freeze or burn one of the tables. The more pyro-maniacal of Jenna's Djinn were more interested in the effect of burning a Mercury Djinn. Some of the Mercury Djinn mused out loud as to what a Mars-flavoured Djinn-sicle might look like. One hopped over and jumped up on to the table, causing a vase of flowers to topple over, but thankfully Piers was fast enough and saved it from shattering on the floor.

_"Hello, Jenna."_ It said softly, _"May I help you?"_

_"I just want to say thank you."_ She smiled, _"You brought us to Piers so we could help Mia and my brother."_

He bowed slightly and Jenna rubbed his head, as though she was petting a dog. It let out a soft breath which she assumed was something like a cat's grateful purr. She beamed and nodded to it as it hopped off the table.

* * *

Mia awoke softly, her vision quickly returned and she saw the sky streaked golden and orange outside the window. She was in her bed, comfortably wrapped in warm sheets. Unbeknownst to her, Garet had carried her back into her room and ensured she was comfortable before returning to his own bed, which had been occupied by Mia. She smiled slightly, half-asleep, and pulled the sheets closer relishing the comfort and warmth. She felt a slight tingle in her left hand. She turned her head to see Felix, still bearing the scars on his naked chest, along with one that snaked its way over his body, holding her hand. She smiled serenely up at him. She reached up and touched his face with her free hand, and he squeezed hers slightly. He was there.

_"You're awake."_ He stated.

She nodded, _"You're okay."_

_"Vi'na mi'na'zi, Mia-kan'oi."_ A calm voice came from the foot of the bed, _"T'ai'ras t'ai'u jano?"_

Mia turned to see Piers standing there smiling down at her. She tried to figure out what in the world he had just said, convinced she had not yet fully recovered from the recent events.

Piers seemed to understand her expression, _"Apologies, it's Lemurian for _'good morning, Mia. How are you?'_. I tend to drift between the two languages."_

Understanding entered Mia's eyes, _"Oh, okay, good morning. I'm fine. Thank you for… well…"_

He nodded in return, _"You are very welcome. Oh yes. Fizz?"_ He called out. A blue stream flew from him and materialised into Mia's Djinni on the edge of the bed. It hopped up and down, causing Mia to giggle, happy with the knowledge that its master was alive and well. _"He helped me while you were asleep, he couldn't return to you as you had passed out. It seems I forgot to return him."_ Piers smiled, petting the blue Djinni, _"He is very helpful."_

_"Course he is."_ She beamed joyfully, pulling her first and most trusted Djinni into a joyous hug. It hummed slightly and then swirled around her re-joining with her mind and her other Djinn.

_"Well, I am very pleased to see you so upbeat."_ He smiled wider, _"Try and rest a little."_ He left the two Adepts, sensing private words were no doubt bubbling under the surface. They thanked him once more for his work and help before he got to the door.

Mia turned back to Felix, looking deep into his brown eyes. It had seemed like an eternity since she last saw them. He stared back at her with that same odd expression from her night with him, _"Felix…"_ She whispered, feeling the sting of joyous tears.

She was so happy Felix was alive. It was the exact same Felix she remembered from the night. That caring, yet somehow distant and calm, expression that rested seemingly never-endingly on his face. Fear didn't even enter her thoughts. She reached up and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into an emotion filled hug. He returned it softly. She didn't know what to say. A few days ago, she didn't so much as want to be near him, now she had pulled him into a hug because he was alright, because she had helped him. It was her fault he had been hurt.

They held each other for a while, Mia just relishing the fact that Felix was alive. She didn't know what Felix may be thinking, or why he held the hug. Chances are he was just being gracious, but she wanted to believe he was thankful. She remembered that light she had seen within him, and dared to believe she had done it. She released him from the hug, wiping the feeling of tears from her eyes.

_"I'm sorry."_ She whispered, _"If it wasn't for me, you never would have been hurt."_

Felix hand massaged her back for a moment or two, _"It's okay, Mia. I assume you're the one who saved me?"_

S-saved him? She hadn't saved him yet. She hadn't even begun to try yet. She looked down and nodded, muttering something. Felix raised his eyebrow and, instead of asking for a louder repeat, brought his ear closer to her mouth. Her mind thought carefully before she whispered her words silently again.

_"…I…I didn't… I didn't want you to die…"_ She fought the tears away, _"…I… I don't want… you to be… I don't want you to die…" _She couldn't let him die. She just couldn't. She had to save him first. She had to save him from his curse. He couldn't die and be damned. He couldn't. She wasn't going to let him die, regardless of whether she cured him or not. She fought that thought internally, she would cure him and he would not die.

Her words surprised Felix. Of course he never let it show, as always. He looked at the crown of her head as she continued to stare downward. He placed his hand gently beneath her chin and turned her welled eyes up to face him, _"Thank you, Mia."_ He said sincerely.

_ "Y-you're welcome…"_ She whispered.

Mia was averting his eyes. Felix wondered what was bothering her so much. So many theories formed and he thought that perhaps her care for people was the reason for her near tear-filled eyes. How could he assure her it was all okay? That from here things would get better? He wasn't an optimist, he knew full well they were just heading towards even more difficult challenges and he would have to die at the end, but for now he had to convince her it was okay.

He smiled.

He smiled a small, reassuring, thankful smile. Mia caught it in the corner of her eyes. It convinced her to pop a smile, her usual, small angel smile. It slowly grew wider until it was a wide gleam on her soft lips. To say Felix was surprised by this change would have been an understatement.

Mia pulled him into a hug again, _"Don't… don't risk anything again… please?"_

Felix felt it best to oblige, _"Okay, Mia. I promise."_

* * *

Garet's feet haphazardly paced back and forth in determined, focused paths. His eyes continued their repeated, increasingly angst, glances towards the stairs, _"Where are those two?"_ He was so worried for them, or rather he was worried sick for Mia. After everything she had been through, first being delirious then passing out for Felix, he didn't know how she might be. Why did she have to be the healer so often?

_"Stop asking that!"_ Sheba whined, the past few hours had been filled with that question.

Garet turned to Sheba, who was sitting beside a snickering Ivan. He shrugged, _"Hey I'm just worried about them is all. I mean they weren't the best when we found them yesterday."_ It was true, Felix had been in a horrible state and Mia, less damaged physically, had still lost enough blood to cause substantial worry.

_"I know you're worried for them, Garet,"_ Piers said from across the room, _"but do try to have some patience. They are perfectly fine, although I assume they are understandably tired."_

_"Garet, relax, they deserve a rest."_ Isaac said, raising his hand to his friend, _"Just sit down and relax, will you? They're fine and you're creeping us all out. Stop it or I'll get Ivan to wipe your mind again."_

_"Ugh, fine."_ He sighed and took a seat at a nearby table, before Isaac's words sunk in, _"Wait, again!?"_ He asked aghast, _"What the hell did you have him do that for?"_

_"It was funny."_ Isaac laughed, along with the rest of the group, _"Besides, it was nothing important, and we didn't get rid of that much, just an hour or so."_

Garet did not respond as everyone else laughed at him. Chances are Isaac was messing with him, and if not, he would never tell him what exactly was done. So, instead of questioning anything, he glared at Piers and placed his elbow on the table, his hand open and ready. Piers confused for a moment or two, smirked to the Mars Adept before taking a seat across from him. He placed his elbow on the table and grasped Garet's hand firmly. The Jupiter Adepts bounded over to the two eagerly.

_"Oh, I've been waiting for this."_ Sheba squealed excitedly.

_"In the red corner, we have the Mars Adept, with a temperament to match, the man from Vale: Garet!"_ Ivan yelled aloud imitating an announcer, _"And in the blue corner, the Mercury Adept from the long lost civilisation of Lemuria, put your hands together for Piers!"_

Sheba clapped her hands and cheered comically, _"Twenty in gold says Piers will win."_ She smirked.

_"You're on."_ Ivan shook her hand and started digging through his pockets, _"FIGHT!"_ He yelled playfully, banging the coins on the table beside Sheba's.

Their arms both flexed as they struggled to move the others arm, neither gaining any ground. Sheba and Ivan's eyes darted back and forth between the two of them, waiting to see some sign of weakness. Several minutes passed sweat dripped from both contestants foreheads, Garet's face was contorted with concentration, Piers' retained the passive, patient, visage he always had, but his eyes seemed fiery and determined.

Isaac chuckled slightly as he watched the two of them from his seat across the bar.

_"Isaac…"_ Someone whispered.

Isaac looked up. Jenna was standing in front of him. He noticed a small look of embarrassment in her face. He shook himself, he knew better than to bring it up with, _"Oh, hey, Jen, what's up?"_ Isaac asked brightly.

_"About yesterday…I…I…"_

_"Don't worry about it, Jenna, I understand. Felix is your only family."_ Isaac gestured to the seat beside him.

Jenna walked over and plopped down on it, turning to Isaac, _"But the way I acted, I could have… well you might…"_ She looked into Isaac's deep blue eyes and whispered, _"I'm sorry, Isaac…"_

Isaac reached out and pulled Jenna into a gentle, caring hug. She cried, softly, into his chest. Isaac rubbed her back reassuringly, _"Shhh, Jenna, don't cry. Everything is alright now. You'll never be alone."_ He whispered gently in her ear.

A huge cheer erupted as everyone in the inn, who seemingly had become greatly interested in the contest due to Ivan's commentary, celebrated a victory.

Garet leapt out of his seat angrily, _"DAMN IT!"_ He roared as everyone in the inn laughed and congratulated Piers.

Sheba smirked, happily congratulating Piers as she took the coins for herself. Piers smiled wisely and congratulated Garet on a good match as he leaned back in his chair. Isaac and Jenna laughed slightly as they watched the scene unfold.

Jenna's crying slowly faded, replaced by slow, deep breaths. Isaac placed a hand under her chin and slowly lifted her face. He looked deep into her eyes.

_"Isaac…"_ She breathed gently.

_"It's alright, Jenna. Everything's alright."_ He whispered back, smiling gently.

_"I'm just sorry because I care so much for y… everyone."_ She hoped that Isaac hadn't just heard her slight slip of the tongue, _"I don't want anyone to get hurt."_

Isaac just smiled in return and pulled her back into a hug.

* * *

Mia smiled as she emerged from the stairway and, just like Piers earlier a flash of crimson flew toward her and pulled her into a tight hug knocking all the wind from her. Jenna whispered her many thanks to Mia, who gratefully returned the hug.

Felix followed behind confidently. Jenna beamed up to Mia and broke away from the hug, knocking Felix back on the stairs with a tear filled emotional, loving hug. He winced slightly as the steps contacted his spine and gently returned the hug and pulled her closer reassuringly as she whispered how afraid she had felt and how she thought he might die and leave her all alone.

Felix stood up with Jenna still holding him and beckoned to the rest of them to join them. They rushed over to them quickly and embraced and, there amidst the huddle, Jenna's feelings of mirth and sadness where let loose as joyous tears rolled along her cheeks. She laughed as the tears of joy dripped from her chin. Everyone caught the infectious laughter she released and giggled, chuckled, and laughed with her, Felix even managed to let out a few breaths that may have been chuckles. Jenna looked around as best she could and was able to catch the faces of her friends all laughing and smiling to each other.

She laughed harder, even though she had started this quest against her will and she and her friends were constantly under the threat of death, she couldn't imagine, and never wanted to, not being here, not knowing Ivan or Sheba or Mia or Piers. They were her friends and she was glad they were all alive and with her.

_"Thanks so much… all of you, for everything… I love you guys."_ She said brightly.

They broke apart after a short time, after drawing the attention of everyone else in the inn, and Felix and Mia were cornered at the stairway as the Adepts berated them with questions of how they were. Eventually they managed to make their way to a small table, suited for about four, but all of them grabbed a chair and squashed themselves into a space beside someone else.

_"So,"_ Felix began in his usual tone, _"what happened?"_

_"You nearly died, we saved you, therefore, we're awesome."_ Ivan responded before anyone else could so much as begin to respond.

_"That's about the gist of it."_ Garet agreed, _"Go with that and avoid all the awkward stuff. Trust me."_

_"Isaac? Piers?"_ Felix asked, ignoring the snickering Adepts at the table.

Piers nodded to Isaac, indicating he was the one to ask. Isaac was taking a deep breath, searching for what to say. All eyes were on him, even though most knew what was to be said. They were interested to see how Isaac portrayed it, and what Felix's reaction would be.

_"Fizz told us to get to the plains, Piers ran ahead as I got the others. When we found you on the plains, both you and Mia had passed out. Piers was already there doing his best to keep you alive. I got some bruises so Jenna wouldn't see you how you were."_ Isaac smiled to the girl, who muttered and abashed apology, _"When we got you back, Piers spent the whole day keeping you with us, Jenna was kinda shook up , while the rest of us tried to cure Mia. She had been poisoned and was delirious. Sheba and Ivan watched over her for the most part. Eventually Kraden managed to make an antidote. Mia woke up, then we told Jenna how you were. We let her see you…"_

_"I didn't take it the best. Sorry guys."_ Jenna interrupted, looking apologetically between Isaac and Garet. The boys smirked and dismissed it with the wave of a hand.

_"Then we worked to heal you and I passed out doing so."_ Isaac finished, _"And that's pretty much everything. The short version anyway. We all had our hands full, some more than others, but we got through just fine."_ This earning a grin from Piers,_"But, I would like to talk to you. That alright?"_

Felix tilted his head in interest, he had rather hoped to get some food and relax first, _"Very well."_ He nodded and gestured for him to follow to another table.

The seven of them sat in silence, curious and awkward as result. The seven pairs of eyes were fixed on the two Venus Adepts at the nearby table, sadly just out of earshot. Ivan tried his hand at lip-reading, but failed gloriously. The group's curiosity peaked when Felix's passive visage hardened ever so slightly as his eyes grew colder. Isaac didn't withdraw but actually leaned closer, still forceful, and continued his talk. Felix continued listening even though his expression did not soften.

The silence persisted long after Felix motioned for Isaac to wait and left and Isaac walked to the door, not so much as glancing toward them. The awkwardness intensified as time drew on, no one was quite aware of themselves or sure of what to say.

Eventually the silence was broken by the soft voice of a cerulean haired Mercury Adept, _"Sheba… I forgot to say, I'm so glad to know you're alive."_

The unsettled air turned to one of question as everyone's eyes drifted to the soft features of the Imilian Mercury Adept.

_"Wh-what do you mean?"_ Sheba stammered in return with a look of worry and confusion.

_"Well after Venus Lighthouse we thought you and Felix were dead."_ Her slight smile dropped ever so slightly with her words, not particularly noticeable, but, as everyone was focused on it, it seemed very pronounced.

_"Oh, thanks."_ She intoned oddly, most likely preferring not to remember.

_"Actually, I wanna know,"_ Jenna said leaning forward, _"when did you realise we were still alive?"_

_"Well, we weren't sure what happened to you or Kraden. We refused to believe the worst, but every now and then we had our moments where that happened."_ Garet laughed, _"But, when we first got word of you surviving, we found you left a fairly big trail behind you. Everyone kept saying we were like _'the warriors who helped us not too long ago'_, Felix's name came up quite a lot."_

_"You have no idea how surprised we were when we heard so many people refer to him as a hero."_ Ivan smirked, _"After all, I had only ever known him as some guy Isaac and Garet used to know who died, came back, and was evil and trying to destroy the world. _'Hero'_ isn't exactly a word to fit that kind of person. Villain, archenemy, maniac, names along this line would have made more sense."_

_"Yeah, pretty much everyone we talked to had only good things to say about how he helped them."_ Garet laughed again.

_"About him?"_ Jenna taunted, _"What about everything we did!?"_ She yelled playfully indicating herself, Sheba and Piers.

Piers chuckled slightly before Mia tapped him on the shoulder and beckoned him away from the table. The group stared quizzically as the Adepts excused themselves and walked to the bar, as Mia began talking slowly.

_"What's up with them?"_ Ivan asked with half a laugh, _"Mia looks way too worried. Well, for her."_

It was true, Mia seemed too serious and involved in the conversation. Even though it was mostly Piers who spoke, Mia seemed much more worried than was usual for her.

_"Ah, she'll be alright."_ Sheba smirked, _"She just wants Piers."_

Light-hearted chuckles slowly ran over the table with Sheba's childish comments.

_"Well, as fun as this whole day has been. I think I may go see my sis. Get some backstory on me, you know? Been a while since I've been around family. Except you, bro."_ He laughed, punching Garet in the arm.

_"Mind if I join you?"_ Sheba inquired, _"Maybe Hama would now something about me… anything."_

_"Sure!"_ Ivan responded happily, not realising just how important the subject was to Sheba, _"C'mon! See you later guys. Don't try anything too stupid, Garet."_ The boy winked to him and Jenna.

_"Same to you."_ Garet responded with the same wink.

Both he and Jenna noticed the quick blush on Sheba's features before they scampered away and burst out laughing. They hadn't exactly expected that, but now, oh now, the taunts and teases could begin. And what fun that would be for the two of them.

Kraden spoke up from his quiet spell, _"Might I ask when we are leaving?"_

Jenna turned toward him, _"First thing in the morning, I'll bet."_

Kraden beamed and nodded, _"Very well. I do believe it is time I retire for the night. Good night."_

Garet and Jenna returned their farewells as the wizened scholar shuffled away.

* * *

Mia wasn't sure why she had chosen to confide in Piers. Maybe it was because he seemed to be the most level-headed of the group. Maybe it was because she hadn't spoken to him yet outside of a dangerous situation. Maybe it was because he too was a Mercury Adept. No matter now, she had selected him.

_"How did you get involved in all of this, Piers?"_ She questioned first so as to ease into her point.

Piers smiled to himself, scratching his chin casually, _"You might say that the seven of you are responsible."_ He laughed, _"A tidal wave washed me out to sea from Lemuria, I was leaving anyway, but that was sooner than I had planned. It was caused by the ignition of the Venus Beacon, or so I'm told."_

Why did everything always return to that Lighthouse? Why was it that everyone's lives were changed by it more than any other?

_"It was unfortunate timing too. Shortly after I ran aground, I was imprisoned because I was suspected of being associated with pirates who had attacked the nearby village."_ Piers explained humorously.

_"I actually knew about you being in prison."_ Mia commented, _"Isaac and the rest of us found out there was a Mercury Adept in the jail, we figured it was… someone I knew. By the time we got there you had already been freed."_

_"Interesting, how different everything might have been had I met up with you first instead of Felix. Anyway, after I was freed I left to retrieve my ship's black orb. Without it the ship is useless, so I needed to liberate it from the hands of the di'e'bEn (Thieves)."_ Piers continued, _"Soon after I had found where it was, Felix and the others found me. I didn't much trust strangers then, on account of the first people outside of Lemuria I had ever seen threw me in their cells. Nonetheless, Felix insisted on helping me. We didn't trust each other, but then he saved my life. I offered him the use of my ship and my help, he offered to show me the world, a fair trade."_

_"So, you didn't trust Felix when you first met him, at all?"_ Mia asked, hoping for her not to be the only one who felt that way.

_"Of course not. Blind trust is a foolish thing, which can lead to great sorrow or tragedy, but, I did see that he was not a cruel man, his intentions were pure, even if his methods were sometimes questionable."_ Piers replied, _"People we've met have put it best, shamans, pirates, village elders, and even werewolves have said numerous kind words about Felix. I think it safe to say the words I have heard from around the world about him sum up Felix entirely."_

It was all so strange to Mia. Other people, people who may have only caught a glimpse of Felix, did not see the darkness or the evil in that man. They saw good, honour, valour, and light. Was she the only person on Weyard who saw the worst in him right from the start, she, a woman who always tried to see the best in everything?

_"I get the strangest feeling that this conversation is not wholly centred on an interest in me, Mia. Do not be afraid to get to the point."_ Piers smiled, _"It's easiest if you say it quickly."_

Mia took a deep breath, knowing him to be right, _"It's Felix." _Piers smiled wide at that, there seemed to be some message in it which Mia couldn't quite comprehend, _"W-what do you think of him, Piers?"_

Piers raised a curious eyebrow, _"He's as normal a man as any. More determined than most and heavily jaded as result of his past, but completely normal."_

That didn't help. Not at all. Surely, if anyone on Weyard understood this new Felix, this one from after Vale and after Venus Lighthouse, it would be Piers. He was the only likely candidate for normal friendship, _"I… I just don't get him."_ Mia pouted, _"It's impossible to get a clear reading off him."_

_"He can be… difficult sometimes, but he's not as complex as you think."_ Piers said, _"Most people aren't as complex as the world would have you believe."_

_"What?"_ Mia was confused.

_"Take Jenna for instance,"_ He gestured to the girl, who seemed to be struggling to contain laughter as Garet held her hand, _"you have known her for what can only be about two days maximum. Do you _'get'_ her yet?"_

_"That's kind of different." _Mia answered as Jenna let out a loud burst of laughter, making her laugh slightly as well, _"All Isaac and Garet would talk about is her, I already feel like I know her. She's passionate, friendly, unafraid to speak her mind, she'll do anything for her friends even if it means hurting them, quick to anger sometimes, and as playful as any of us."_

_"That is Jenna."_ Piers agreed, _"She's also Felix's sister. Family is often the same. Now tell me, what do you _'get'_ about Felix?"_

_"I dunno, that's the problem."_ Mia sighed, _"Everything I've seen and heard all just contrasts. I don't know what might be truth or lie."_

_"And if Isaac and Garet had told you stories of Jenna as someone of less than reputable characteristics?"_ Piers asked.

_"I guess… I probably wouldn't like to have met her."_ Mia responded.

_"My point exactly, people make people complicated. It's all very simple when you get down to it. Everyone sees someone in a different light. Sheba, for example, I see as a little sister. I would tell you characteristics that reflect that typecast whereas Ivan may currently relate more of a romantic category." _Piers explained his theory, _"And you, I would relate you to a care-giver, mother-figure, what have you, while Garet may see you as something as more than a friend."_

Mia blushed at the thought of something like that.

_"So, be easy on Felix. He hasn't had it easy. He has a lot of secrets. Some more personal and scarring than I care to know, he suffers from them always."_ Piers said, _"He needs an aki'me (friend), someone who can help him, someone who can assure him. I have failed him. He shared certain secrets with me, and I did nothing to help. I let him shoulder his burden alone, and for that I cannot forgive myself."_

Mia knew what Piers was hinting at, but said nothing. She didn't much like his insinuation. Maybe she was just imagining things though.

_"I think he likes you."_ Piers commented casually.

Mia looked at him, he was staring at Garet. She wasn't in the mood for these kind of games, whether he meant Garet or Felix or anyone else, _"No." _She stated plainly.

_"And if my old eyes do not deceive me, I believe you like him."_ He continued, undeterred.

_"You're not funny, Piers."_ Mia warned. He was getting dangerously close to a punch. Not that it would do much, but still.

He chuckled, _"I do have my occasional comedic moments. And I have yet to hear you deny that you do."_

She struggled not to succumb to her gentle brand of violence, it would only strengthen Piers' point. She didn't _'like' _Felix. She just wanted to understand, and help him. None of this nonsense about liking him, that was ridiculous, _"I don't like, Felix."_ Mia stated clearly and forcefully.

Piers turned to her slowly, wearing a broad smile and crossing his arms, _"I was referring to Garet, Mia. What's this about Felix now?"_

_"G-Garet!?"_ She stammered quickly, her face quickly burning a bright scarlet, _"O-oh, I thought you meant Felix cause we had just been talking about him and you were saying that he liked me and stuff so that's why I thought it was Felix that's all."_

Piers said nothing, simply smiling back at her.

_"Quit looking at me!"_ She demanded, knowing that her outburst was only worsening the situation.

_"My, my, you're awfully defensive all of a sudden. Why can't a hi'tile admire a hi'tine these days?"_ He questioned, his smile growing.

Mia had no, idea what he had said, but she got the gist, assuming the two words were man and woman, or something to that effect, _"Because it was creepy."_ She stated firmly.

Silence settled onto the two of them. Piers seemed all the more comfortable with it, sipping from his newly ordered glass of water, as he stared around the room. Mia was quite the opposite. She was currently highly embarrassed thanks to Piers. First he made her blurt out certain things about Felix, second he insinuated that Garet may like her, and third he seemed all too confident of the fact that he was right about everything.

_"What do you think those two are doing?"_ Piers questioned suddenly, _"Isaac and Felix."_

Mia shrugged, _"I dunno. I'd say they're talking, but since they left… they're probably arguing."_

_"That seems likely."_ Piers agreed, _"It's probably over Jenna. Or they're settling certain issues from Vale."_

_"Jenna?"_ Mia asked quickly.

_"If stories I've heard are to be considered true, then I would believe that Isaac likes her. I am aware she is very fond of Isaac, seeing as it was his name spoken more than any over the past year or so. Felix is highly protective. It wouldn't be odd. And of course, if it's a Vale issue, as I understand it Felix has betrayed everything he was taught in his youth and Isaac is still a firm believer in those teachings, even if he too is about to betray them. I can't imagine he would be too comfortable like that. He is not as determined as Felix."_

_"You don't know Isaac then."_ Mia played.

_"Then you don't know Felix, Mia."_ He countered.

Mia knew enough. He certainly didn't seem that much more determined than Isaac. Slightly more perhaps, but Isaac had always had such strong resolve no matter what, so Felix couldn't be far ahead of that. She sighed. Why was it that every one of her thoughts lately revolved around that dark man? Maybe it was her recovery. Maybe it was her desire to help. Maybe it was all his fault for telling her everything.

* * *

Felix caught sight of himself in the mirror in his room and ran his hand along the long scar along his chest. A constant memory of survival, he knew Mia or Piers could be rid of it, but this one scar he wanted to keep for now. It was a testament to how they all worked together and pulled through tough times. He laughed slightly, he had missed so much while he was unconscious and yet this one grotesque scar bonded him to missing times. Perhaps one day he could learn in depth what had happened and then maybe he could allow the scar to leave him.

He slowly closed his tunic on and strapped on his cloak. He went back downstairs. Isaac was standing at the door, awaiting his return. The two of them quietly left the inn together and walked outside of town. Felix had to admire Isaac in some way, for he had accepted what was to come. They arrived at a small clearing of grass just outside the town's borders, Isaac stood rigid and dead quiet as Felix turned to him.

_"Listen very carefully to me, Isaac,"_ Felix began, his calm, malicious tone more threatening than anything Isaac had heard, _"I don't mind if you and Jenna want to be with each other…"_

_"Then why drag me out here?"_ Isaac asked plainly. He walked forward and tried to reach toward Felix.

Felix suddenly shot a freezing glare. Isaac stopped where he was, unflinching, and dropped his hand, _"Listen to me, Isaac."_ He ordered, _"I've always known how much you care for Jenna, but understand I can't let you hurt her."_

_"I understand."_ Isaac said, and he realised too late that he had said it too quickly.

_"I don't think you do."_ Felix continued calmly, _"Not once have I seen you prove this."_

_"Despite the fact, that I wouldn't have chased you if not for her?"_ Isaac asked sceptically.

_"That's up for debate."_ Felix answered, _"You've always been there for her, more than I have, and she tells me how much you cared for her when I was gone."_

_"Of course, I lo…"_

_"Don't. Try. That."_ Felix interjected and turned away from him _"What would you do for her?"_

Isaac recovered and stared stoically at Felix's turned away form, _"Anything."_ He answered strongly, _"And everything." _

_"Prove it to me."_

Felix swung round with lightning speed. Isaac heard the crack as his nose let loose a tide of blood to flow into his mouth. He smirked, even though hurt and angry, if he could prove himself Felix wouldn't get in the way again.

But proving himself was difficult. How far would he have to go?

He quickly wiped away the blood gushing from his nostrils and narrowed his eyes, running a strong enough cure to stem the tide. Felix had taken several steps back. He glowed with Psynergy and Isaac readied himself for earthen attacks. He was surprised to find a ring of earth slowly enclosing them. Isaac planted his feet firmly into his element beneath him. He levelled his breathing as Felix's silvery glow slowly faded. He was worried to say he wasn't would be a lie. Felix was stronger and faster than him. But maybe he didn't have to beat him.

This idea became increasingly evident after their brawl began. Felix was a _trained_ fighter, he had been taught, made to learn the arts of war. The town of Prox no doubt wanted him to represent some form of a warrior if he was to accompany Saturos and Menardi, and they had succeeded in that. Isaac had never done that. He had learned how to handle a sword on the fly, along with hand-to-hand sparring with Garet every now and then. He had no chance against this trained warrior of Prox.

Still, Isaac had managed to land some deft blows against Felix, but suffered the same many times. Felix's fists did not land in random places to cause pain or draw blood, they landed in certain places designed to disable Isaac, to weaken him. Isaac didn't know any of these tactics, or how to defend against them. He continuously worked cures into his body, noting Felix had yet to do the same.

Isaac swore he had heard one of his ribs crack. It certainly felt that way when Felix landed yet another strike upon it. His strategy shifted to defence and cunning rather than strength. He should have known better than to try and take Felix in a challenge of strength. He should have been smarter from the start. He changed his stance, only slightly, hoping it would escape Felix's notice, as best as he could to protect his bruised form.

Felix's fist came flying forward, but he was ready for it. He dodged around him, catching his free arm as he spun and twisted it behind his back. He forced it unnaturally against him. He brought his foot up, ready to bring it down on Felix's knee, before a pop distracted him. Felix was free. Isaac was tossed over his shoulder and he flew a good distance before he slid through mud and dirt. Felix was on top of him in a second and Isaac was gone.

* * *

Jenna frowned in a mix of worry and, as of yet, unseen anger. She was worried and she knew it. Felix had fought away every other boy in Vale apart from Isaac, even though he established barriers with him. Garet was more optimistic than that of course. Felix and Isaac used to be best friends. Sure, they had both sworn that if it came to it they would have fought to the death, but Garet could never really see that happening. The two had a habit of being stubborn around each other. It had always been a contest, quite frankly, and the most popular cause was the redhead sitting beside him.

_"I'm worried, Garet."_ Jenna stated quickly.

_"About Felix and Isaac?"_ Garet feigned ignorance, knowing it would annoy her.

Shooting him a glare, Jenna answered, _"Yes. You know how they get. They're not on friendly terms anymore either, Garet. You must see that, even if your skull is still as thick as ever."_

Garet laughed inwardly, _"Ah, still obsessed with the old thickness of the noggin, eh?"_ He asked, rapping his knuckles against the side of his head, _"Kept me alive, this thick skull of mine, you know, it's better than you give it credit for."_

Jenna's glare intensified, _"Don't change the subject."_ She warned, _"I'm really worried."_

_"Nothing's gonna happen, Jenna."_ Garet assured, _"Well, nothing serious anyway."_ He corrected.

_"I guess."_ Jenna mumbled, unconvinced.

_"Besides,"_ Garet continued heartily, _"with them away we can bring the spark back into our secret relationship."_

Jenna giggled at the foolish and overly dramatic wink, and played along, just like back in Vale, _"Oh, how could I forget?"_ She mimed in an airy loving tone, _"My sweet, Garet, I could hardly stand being away from you for so long."_

Garet, expertly hiding his smile, took Jenna's hand in his, looking deep into her eyes, _"Each second away from you, knowing you were in such danger brought me such a heavy heart. It feels like an eternity since I last held you."_

Struggling, Jenna repressed her grin and giggles. Garet was actually an amazingly good actor or very good at pretending to love her. She sure as hell hoped that it was all feigned anyway, otherwise this was all very awkward.

_"If there is only one thing I could take with me to the afterlife, it would be your sweet smile."_

Jenna was actually twitching with the effort to keep herself composed. She couldn't speak as she knew it would only result in disturbing the peace of the inn.

_"Please, forgive me. I shall never leave your side again, my queen."_ Garet bowed his head, kissing the back of Jenna's hand.

At this point it was all too much and Jenna's loud, high-pitched, giggles rang out clearly, tone after tone, into the lobby of the inn. They were quickly muted by her wrenching her hands from Garet's and clamping them firmly over her mouth. Spluttered sounds still escaped. This was not helped by the fact that all eyes were on her after her outburst and Garet was in the process of pointing at her and announcing to the whole inn that this was the girl who just disrupted their pleasant evening.

Several minutes passed. At times it seemed that she was calm, but then as she made to speak Garet would do something ridiculous and childish, like make a face, slap himself, or simply hold his finger in front of her with a demented look upon himself. Eventually, Garet actually allowed her time to calm, and once she did, the pummelling into his arm was fully expected.

_"You ass!" _She squealed, _"That. Was. So. Embarrassing!" _She punched him upon each word, him laughing with each.

_"Sorry, sorry." _He said, rubbing a hand along his soon to be bruised arm, _"You gotta admit though, it was pretty funny."_

_"Hmph."_ She mocked playfully, turning away from him.

_"Alright fine, I'm the stupidest fool in Vale and you are the most magnificent person to ever grace Weyard."_ He rhymed the learned apology out.

_"We're not in Vale anymore… Stupid fool."_ She smiled, her cheeks still somewhat red.

Garet smiled back fully, _"So, what was it like? Travelling around, after Venus I mean."_

This brought Jenna back, _"It was different I guess. I mean… I actually had to fight, you know? It was scary at first… but… I don't know, I kinda like the thrill of it all."_

_"Wouldn't prefer to be back in Vale, no?"_ He asked.

_"I… I dunno. I mean yeah. I'd love to be back in Vale with everyone else. If I was though, I wouldn't have known Felix was still alive. I wouldn't have met Ivan, or Mia, or Sheba, or Piers, or all the other people. I never would have seen the world. I'd love to be back now, with all of them, but I don't want to miss the end of the quest either. I want to see it through." _ Jenna answered, sure of herself, _"What about you?"_

For a moment, Garet paused, _"Not sure. You gotta remember I chased after you guys to stop you from finishing your quest, even though it wasn't yours until Saturos and Menardi died."_

_"How do you feel about that?"_ Jenna cut in quickly, before lowering her voice quickly, _"Killing them, I mean."_

_"Not great." _Garet responded shallowly, _"I mean, I killed someone you know, it's different from monsters. Yeah, I thought they were evil as hell, same as with Felix, until a few days ago. But, they were just two people trying to save their hometown and the world from destruction. I feel like a bastard. Not that there's anything I can do now. Anyway, yeah, I feel about the same as you about this whole thing. I miss everything, but I wouldn't trade what I have now for anything."_

A silence settled on them. It wouldn't have been as uncomfortable if not for Jenna's question. There may not have even been a silence without it.

_"So," _Jenna piped up innocently, pursing her lips and rolling her eyes back and forth, _"did you… fall for anyone yet? Mia, maybe?"_

Jenna was somewhat shocked to see a blush form on Garet's cheeks, _"Well… I kinda…"_

_"Uh, did you two used to be…?"_ Jenna questioned, fearing she had just created a horribly awkward situation.

_"N-no-no-no."_ Garet answered quickly, _"She doesn't even know."_

Jenna nodded, literally feeling the awkwardness of the situation solidify around her, _"Did you ever play our game with her?"_

Garet chuckled, _"Yeah, yeah, I did actually. She wasn't too good at it, and I was a bit too good, cause well…it was her."_

_"I'll talk to her sometime."_ Jenna winked, _"See if I can't get you a romantic dinner together."_

_"Thanks… I think."_ Garet laughed, _"So, what about you? Anyone?"_

_"Piers."_ She answered without missing a beat, turning her eyes dreamily to the Lemurian beside Mia.

Garet's jaw literally hit the table in his shock, _"You and Piers?"_

_"Yeah, about a month or two now. Felix really likes him so it was kind of an operative choice."_ Jenna smiled brightly, _"Besides he's amazing in bed." _Garet's face morphed into utter confusion and shock. Shortly after, Jenna erupted into furiously effective laughter, _"Aww, no way! I can't believe you bought that! Oh, man you should have seen your face! You gotta remind me to tell that one to Isaac later, if that's your reaction his will be priceless. Might even get Piers in on it, could be good for a laugh."_

The two devolved into joyous laughter, much as they had done in their past. It seemed so long ago, but as fresh as yesterday. They were both glad to have their friend back in their lives._  
_

* * *

Felix gasped in horrific pain and satisfied relief. He calmed his laboured, tired breathing and calmed his mind. He dared to turn his neck to see the source of pain. From what he could gleam from the corner of his eye, it appeared his shoulder was sagging unnaturally low on his frame. He gingerly placed his hand over it.

The pain was excruciating, although Felix let nothing show as always. The flames of pain burned even brighter as he tightened his grip and tried to pop his shoulder back into its socket. He collapsed to one knee as he struggled, until he heard a satisfying and wounding click. He grunted as he collapsed for a moment and, when he regained himself, started glowing with Psynergy. The earthen energies that pulsated through the surrounding area were channelled through his mind and body, resting in his shoulder and alleviating the pain. He sighed as the flames eased within him. He gingerly removed his tunic. The shoulder in question was a spattered purple that spread down his arm with the occasional bluish-green hue. It would be fine for now.

_Victory. No matter the cost_: the Proxian ideology. _His_ ideology. He had to follow it. How else could he face his fate?

He turned his attention to Isaac, collapsed in the rock and dirt. He had fought back, valiantly. He had lost, but he fought at his best for Jenna. He knew everything he did was for Jenna. The pain he felt in his fists reflected the pain Isaac's body had suffered. His black eye, broken nose, and the rest of his bruised, bloody body crumpled into the soil presented a daunting healing task. He sensed more injuries beneath the surface as he glowed with Psynergy again.

Isaac never had any chance against him in a fight, he knew. He never expected Isaac to best him, but he wanted to see how far he would go. Isaac didn't surrender, he kept fighting right up until the end. He did his absolute best, using his Psynergy to prolong his own loss, just so he could prove that he would always fight until the end. He was proud of his old friend in a way. He saw now why he had been able to defeat Saturos and Menardi.

He was thankful that he had learned how to fight and heal so well from the Proxians he had been surrounded by for three years. He carefully reset Isaac's nose into its usual form and his Psynergy clicked the bones back together like puzzle pieces as the healing earth energies flowed into the Adept's body. He was no great healer, he couldn't compare to a Mercury Adept's ability, but he could certainly do a half-decent job.

Nearly half an hour of silent work later Isaac groggily returned to consciousness. He grumbled incoherently as his evident pain and exhaustion registered. Felix crouched down and helped him up, offering him his good shoulder. He gratefully accepted the support, shaky as they both were, and began a slow, wincing, grimacing trek back toward the town.

_"So?"_ Isaac gasped, his own Psynergy coming to life as it worked through the two of them.

_"You'll fight."_ He answered simply, _"That's all I need."_

Isaac considered this as a good thing. He assumed Felix meant that he now knew that he would fight anything for Jenna. He would. Felix would hopefully be more lenient with his over-protectiveness of Jenna.

_"I can't defend her all the time, it is impossible."_ Felix stated clearly, _"If you do your best to defend her, that'll ease me. When we leave I won't stop you from talking to her, I won't interfere in any way, but do anything and I'll destroy you. Just look after her, catch up, and don't do anything until after we complete this journey. You want her to be your girlfriend wait until we're back in Vale."_

Isaac nodded again, _"I promise."_ His mind clung to hope.

Felix's mind, however, was in a different place, a sort of fearful wonder. Did he do right? Jenna certainly wouldn't think so. He knew full well that he would take the brunt of her angry blame. She wouldn't see that he had done it for her sake. He reflected on this paradox until Isaac's voice brought him back.

_"Don't hurt, Mia."_ Isaac ordered firmly.

Felix blinked twice, surprise breaking into his normally controlled face. He stared at Isaac dubiously, waiting for elaboration.

_"She worries about you."_ He explained, _"A lot."_

Felix continued his silent questioning, his face having returned to its usual stony and unresponsive visage, although his intricate mind was working fervently.

_"It's not unusual for her."_ Isaac continued, _"There's something different for you."_

_"She's scared of me."_ Felix said, _"Or so she told me. She was scared of what she saw on Venus Lighthouse."_

_"She told me about that one night."_ Isaac replied, _"But it's not that. She told me about your…_'curse'_. Care to explain that to me?"_

_"Not now. I shouldn't have even explained it to her. Keep it quiet."_

_"Fine."_ Isaac grunted, _"Be slightly nicer toward her. If you think you can manage that. I think she might actually like you if you did."_

Felix didn't answer instead he quietly considered Isaac's words. Mia? Like him? Something so pure and good shouldn't sink into the darkness he had. She didn't deserve that. Angels deserved beauty and light just like them.

Beauty…?

So… his thoughts were ones of fondness for the soft healer.

* * *

The initial sight was admittedly a shock for the young boy. He only barely caught sight of it as he left his sister's house with Sheba as she had wanted to sleep. To see one of his closest friends, bloody and bruised, draped around the shoulder of who he had long considered evil was unsettling. After this initial shock passed however he was rushing to their side with the young blonde girl beside him.

Felix's passivity didn't change when they came close instead he patiently waited for their questions and comments. However they didn't voice their questions rather they wanted to see if Felix would explain of his own accord.

However it was Isaac who spoke first, _"Can you make sure Mia and Piers are ready for when we get there?"_

Ivan glanced around slightly and shrugged, _"If we have to."_ He sighed, although purely for comedic value.

_"Don't you want help?"_ Sheba asked.

_"We'll be fine."_ Felix answered simply.

The two turned sceptically to each other and, unwilling to argue in what they knew would be a futile effort, turned and hurried back to Contigo. The wind was refreshing and comforting as it hit their accelerating forms. It was so natural to a Jupiter Adept to have the wind around them. It gave a sense of comfort and even homeliness.

_ "Well, they're idiots."_ Ivan snickered, _"They think they're being smart. They both said they were fighting to determine who would lead, but it was a cloud over their thoughts. There's something else."_

_"You read their minds?"_ Sheba questioned, wondering how no one had noticed.

_"Of course!"_ Ivan responded, laughing as he increased his pace, _"Race you!"_ Ivan said quickly, before taking off at a full sprint.

_"Hey!"_ She yelled childishly, _"No fair!"_

She darted after him, scanning the landscape for any possible shortcuts or a way to cheat Ivan out of victory. She could hear his laughter flying toward her on the wind and its infectiousness caught hold of her, causing light-hearted giggles to flow forth.

She eventually just found herself watching him as he ran and reflected on the possibility that this might be how it always is. She might always be chasing him as he childishly brushes off anything serious. Did she want that? No. No, she knew she wanted more. But she really liked Ivan. More than she had ever liked a boy. He was fun, smart, philosophical, understanding and just as childish as her, but could he be serious about a relationship like she wanted?

She noticed he had come to a stop, and the fact that it was at the same time as this thought unnerved her. Had he been reading her mind without her knowing? He was much better at it, even capable of avoiding detection. She tried to smile innocently as she approached and cleared her mind.

_"I'll get Garet and Jenna, and help get upstairs ready."_ He smiled.

She nodded in return, _"I'll find Mia and Piers then."_

Her search through the inn was half-hearted at best, which was clear after she passed Piers and Mia at the bar several times lost in her thoughts. It was not until Piers finally stopped her and asked her what was wrong that she found him. She felt foolish. She wanted to confide in Piers, but she relayed Isaac and Felix's request and helped prepare.

* * *

_**And that's that.  
Anyway, thoughts on this chapter? I'd like you to review. And I would prefer criticism and other such things, if you would. How else can I improve my writing and this story if I don't get criticism?  
**_

_**Also, I notice that I'm perhaps the only writer in all of FF that has the characters speak in italics. Would you think it better if I wrote dialogue normally and reserved italics for emphasis and thought? Or is it fine how it is? I started writing italics when I found it was difficult to locate dialogue in paragraphs sometimes... that's really the only reason I do it, ease of reading for myself. Honestly, I just want to make you readers as happy as possible. (Plus, it would be pretty simple to edit it all)  
**_

_**Well, since I won't see any of you (not that I do anyway), no matter what you may celebrate (Christmas for me), I wish you all a very happy holiday and new year.  
Thanks for being here with me for it.**_

_**Your grateful friend and writer,  
Droory**_


	7. Torn

_**Chapter 7!  
**__**And, as always, many thanks to those reading this and my very special thanks to those who have reviewed.  
**__Celestia's Paladin, crazy reader, Bonar, Noel_ _the mermaid, TrippyToastersAndABagOfChips _, _and Golden Sun Guy 17_**__****  
Thanks!  
Onward!**  


* * *

Electricity shot straight through her spine when she had first heard the news. Felix and Isaac were injured? Oh gods, what had happened? Felix and she had only just recovered, they didn't need to be stuck in Contigo for another few days. The world was dying. They were its only hope. She rushed quickly to retrieve her healing supplies and waited impatiently outside the inn. Piers stood by her side, quiet and patient. He was resting gently against the wood of the inn and closed his eyes serenely. She wished she could say that her heart was as calm as his, but Isaac was hurt… and so was Felix.

Felix. She hoped it wasn't too bad.

Her heart jumped into her throat as she realised her thoughts and almost instantaneously the two forms appeared in view. Mia did her best to control her flushing colour as she hurried to their side with Piers. The image that presented itself was nothing compared to what she had imagined, a few bloody cuts and spattering bruises that was all. So… they had been fighting after all. She tried not to let that get to her as Piers went to Isaac and relieved Felix of the burden, hoisting him onto his shoulder and continuing back toward the inn.

_"C'mon."_ Mia said almost too eagerly to Felix as she offered her shoulder to him.

_"I'm okay, Mia."_ He answered, _"Thank you."_

She frowned and the healing side of her came through, _"You don't know that. Just let me help you."_ Help him… she had to.

Felix nodded and held his hand toward her. She stared dubiously at it and ducked around it, placing herself underneath his broad shoulder. She felt him glance at her slightly as she put his arm around her shoulder and helped him toward the inn. He was warm. Her heart jumped as he squeezed her shoulder gratefully when they reached the door.

Upstairs Piers was already in the middle of assessing Isaac's condition with Kraden and Jenna at his side. Mia ordered Felix to lie down and he reluctantly obliged. She turned her back on him quickly, hoping she wasn't coming across too cold, and asked Piers of Isaac's condition. He had a broken nose, a cracked rib, several minor cuts, and bruises, nothing serious, not for her anyway.

She turned back to Felix after they removed Isaac's tunic and Piers began work on his ribs. Felix was resting calmly upon his bed. He fixed his brown eyes onto Mia's soft features as she looked down on him. Her hands pressed gently against his chest as the hum of her Psynergy began. He felt eased suddenly. The slight pain that ran through parts of his body was alleviated although his shoulder still burned noticeably.

_"Can…can you take off your tunic?" _She asked abashedly as her Psynergy softly faded, _"Your… uh, your shoulder. I need to see its condition."_

Felix obliged to her yet again and unfastened his tunic, revealing the spattered hues that adorned his arm.

Mia gasped slightly, partly from the view of his shoulder and partly from the view of his muscular body. She hadn't properly seen it when she first woke up, but now she was very awake and struggled to keep her embarrassment at bay, _"H-how did this happen?"_ She started, healing his shoulder as she asked.

_"We were fighting."_ Felix answered calmly.

_"WHAT!?"_ Jenna's voice echoed through the room and she stormed to Felix's side, _"Why the hell were you doing that!?"_ She pounded her fist into Felix's shoulder.

He recoiled from the pain, _"Thanks."_ He scowled dryly, _"And to answer you, it was to determine which of us was more capable of leadership."_ He answered still as calm as ever. He winced slightly as his bones began to mesh back together properly, rather than the forced method he had applied.

_"But he already said you could lead us!"_ Jenna retorted, clenching her fist above him.

_"Calm down, Jenna. It was my idea."_ Isaac spoke up, defending Felix. It was partially true after all, it was his fault it had all happened, _"Just wait until we're healed, then I'll explain everything."_

Jenna frowned and narrowed her eyes. She thought she knew Felix well enough to know when perhaps something might be amiss. She was usually wrong of course, but that didn't stop that buzz in the back of her mind. This time though she didn't pursue the suspicion but resigned to talking softly to the blonde Adept. If Isaac was telling the truth and it was his idea then _he_ was the one who'd be punished later.

Felix closed his eyes and time dragged on with the air filled with Psynergetic hums. He began working through his thoughts, trying to find the best one to focus on. Despite his efforts though, they rested on the healer at his side. Yes, he was fond of her. As fond as he was of Sheba, or Piers. She was a good person, a good friend. She was attractive, the one female of the group actually suitable for him. Jenna was his sister, and Sheba was about five years younger than he was. Why couldn't he shake her from his mind?

_'She might actually like you if you did.'_ Isaac's words replayed in his mind. Why had he said them? Did he know something? Was he just protecting Mia? Was he just trying to get him to be a friend? What did he mean by _'like'_? There were too many questions and he knew he couldn't answer them with his thoughts alone. He would need time, assessment, more interaction. He didn't usually favour more interaction, but it didn't bother him in this thought.

Mia's mind was very much on the same questions. She wasn't sure what she thought of Felix, what she felt for him, who he was, anything. All she could say for certain is that she wanted more from him. Why did he provoke these… these _feelings_ in her? Why did his body make her feel so embarrassed? She had seen Isaac, Garet, and Ivan in less clothing and it hadn't bothered her quite as much. They weren't much different in physical tone. There was something different about it that caused it. She forced thoughts of physical nature away and tried to understand his mentality, an admittedly futile task. She had dwelled on these thoughts since Venus Lighthouse, she was still confused.

Ten minutes of thought and work later and she still hadn't come any closer to clearing the cloud of confusion, though Felix was healed now. He had watched her calmly the entire time and she couldn't fight down her blush as his brown eyes scanned her own. She tried to keep her eyes focused on her work but couldn't help but steal the occasional glance at his face.

He stood up and Mia was shocked into still surprise as he hugged her, still lacking a tunic. She swallowed and tried to control her breathing as he pressed her closer to him. She carefully put her arms on his back and returned the hug. What was this? Why was he hugging her?

_"Thank you, Mia."_ He said calmly.

She barely heard him over the embarrassment she felt, _"You-you're welcome…"_ She mumbled.

The room exchanged intrigued glances as the hugged. They all knew it was unlikely for Felix to hug. They quickly averted their eyes and turned back to Isaac as the two broke apart. Felix nodded to all of them, trusting them to heal Isaac and left. Mia frowned again and turned her powers to Isaac.

* * *

The air began to cool and stars were beginning to appear in the darkness which slowly crept into the sky. Jenna pouted and singed some grass near her. She had argued and hit her brother for his decisions, despite his reasoning. She felt a strong warm pair of arms wrap around her suddenly and pull her away from the grass before she, inevitably, started a fire, that would force Mia or Piers to rush out to extinguish it, and into a soft hug.

She turned in the room that was allowed to see Isaac's smile in full view. She beamed back and reflected somewhere in the back of her mind, that the eight of them usually hugged one another an awful lot. It was a simple gesture, but one that was always filled with emotion and more than often made things seem better. She pouted and rolled her fingers against his chest, still glowing with Psynergy. Isaac swallowed as silently as he could, hoping that she wouldn't accidentally burn his tunic. She moved her mouth around chewing on nothing as she felt her cheeks burn with anger.

_"Jenna."_ Isaac said softly, holding her closer.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, _"You're such idiots."_ She fumed, _"There was no point in it."_

_"I know, Jenna, but you know us."_ Isaac said simply as he stared out over the silently whispering grass plains surrounding the town.

_"What are you talking about!?"_ She stared up to him, but he continued to look out above her to the wilderness, _"You two just beat each other!"_

_"True,"_ Isaac nodded, _"but it was necessary. I suppose I should have seen it coming."_

Jenna pulled away from him, confused, _"What?"_ She asked bewildered, _"What do you mean it was necessary!?"_ She yelled, her Psynergy growing closer to erupting.

Isaac knew she would get angry at him as well for trying to defend Felix. She was always so unbelievably stubborn, he had dealt with it most of his life, usually resulting in him or Garet getting severely burned. He came prepared this time though, after all of his travels and the absence he had from Jenna it gave him more time to reflect on how she had acted, and was ready for such situations. His mind had arrived at the conclusion that Jenna was so insistent and stubborn because of her love for her friends and family, even if she didn't show it, and would defend her beliefs about them until the very end. But he couldn't exactly tell her _why _they were fighting, could he? So, continue with the lie for now, then.

_"Think about it, Jenna,"_ He started calmly, _"Felix let you think he's dead for almost three years, he shows up with three others who had put Vale at risk, and then did so again when they kidnapped you and Kraden, and he puts you through danger on your quest constantly."_ Isaac reasoned, _"He's just trying to be a good brother, make sure no one hurts you anymore. And if me leading would have been the better option, he would have done so to protect you." _

_"That's stupid…"_ She pouted, returning to singing the grass at her feet.

_"Is it?"_ Isaac asked, _"I don't think you think that."_

_"Well I suppose it's kinda…"_ Jenna drifted off and stared at a small blue flame at the tip of her finger.

_"Jenna, you're his only family now and most likely the closest person he has in his life."_ Isaac smiled, _"He loves you more than you realise."_

She felt slightly bad, it was true and she knew it. She wouldn't admit it though, but she wouldn't argue. Instead she remained in her silence. She knew Felix loved her, but he didn't often show it. He never talked with her about Vale, never asked her about the past. He was preoccupied all of the time, justifiably as well. That didn't make Jenna feel better about it though, it didn't make her see that Felix loved her. Still, she knew he did.

_"Let's go talk to him."_ Isaac said moving her from the spot.

She nodded slightly, she wasn't sure if she wanted to, but she really couldn't think of anything better to do. Well, Isaac was with her beneath a beautiful night. They were alone. They could find a secluded place and be alone. It would be like the old days in Vale, her and Isaac spending all their time together, simply enjoying being with the other. She let her mind wonder if… no, Isaac wouldn't… would he? Before she could answer she found herself crossing the threshold of the inn.

* * *

Felix's thoughts still dwelled on the cerulean haired angel. He knew he liked her there was no denying that now. It was a childish dream though, meant for someone who didn't have the weight of the world and all its lives, a curse, and a darkened soul possessing him. Purity and emotion don't mix with darkness and rationality. He swore not to do anything, but would she? Perhaps the old idiom was correct, perhaps opposites did indeed attract.

_"She's cute, isn't she?"_

Felix looked around quickly. Piers had joined him, bringing with him two waters, his preferred beverage. Felix took the glass, raising it in thanks, and downing the water. He was thirsty as hell, not to mention he hadn't eaten at all today. He had spent the entire time since he had awoke at Mia's side, ensuring the healer was well. Then he remembered Piers, along with wondering why the Mercury Adept always purchased waters since he could create the substance at will.

_"Who's cute?"_ He questioned, dubious. He didn't much care for when Piers was in these moods. He had tried to find him several female companions, ranging from pirates, native warriors, a girl who had mistaken him for Isaac, and, on one occasion, a village elder after he had slayed a serpent.

Piers nodded over to a table where Garet and Mia were laughing, smirking wide. Felix took a quick glance over to them He let his eyes wander over Mia's form. She definitely was an attractive young woman, but so what? He could say that about the waitress who was carrying a tray of drinks to another table in the room. There were plenty of attractive women in the world, what did it matter if Mia was _'cute'_?

_"She's attractive, yes."_ He replied calmly, careful not to answer too quickly.

Piers smiled back, _"I think she likes you."_

_"Stop it, Piers."_ Felix warned, in no mood for yet another of these conversations. The several he had always ended the same way: them leaving whatever settlement they were at so Piers couldn't continue this. That wouldn't exactly work this time.

_"It's merely an observation."_ The way he spoke belied that, and Felix was not entertained at all by it, _"She could be good for you."_

_"It doesn't matter, Piers. You know that. Regardless of what you think, I won't. I'm not good for anyone, and I won't last."_ Felix said concisely, still firmly believing in the death the gods wished upon him. He may be trying to bring their powers back to the world, but that did not mean they supported his quest. It was their very powers being abused that led to destruction so long ago, they did not wish to see their gifts used as such again. He was surprised his own patron still answered his call for Psynergy when he needed it.

Piers leaned in a little at that, staring Felix straight in the eye, _"I think that you are. And you say that _you_ won't last. Well, take it from me that if anyone is going to last through this, it will be you, aki'me." (friend)_

Felix could feel his smirk in spite of himself. Piers was funny in a way sometimes. His ridiculous notions were somewhat childish for a man who must have seen his two or three hundredth year. It was sometimes odd to think he was friends with someone who could be that old. Yet, he had sensed it in the Lemurian when they first met. Even if the Lemurian tried to insist he was still a child. His ideas were entertaining at times… when they didn't annoy him, and that was the more likely outcome.

_"Same as always." _Garet grinned, gesturing to Felix's mix of a small smirk and unimpressed visage, as he approached. He sighed through a smile as he took a seat at the table, _"Mia's heading up to bed."_

_"Is she okay?"_ Felix asked quickly, noticing the healer, from the corner of his eye, accelerating up the stairs rather swiftly.

_"Yeah, I'm sure she's fine. Just tired I'd say, it's been a rough few days."_ Garet answered, stroking a chin in some need of a shave, _"I mean, first there was Jupiter Lighthouse, she had to try and save me from my own idiocy after I fell, we had to go through the whole talk after that day, the next she got hurt, then she was having nightmares, then she recovered and had to try and save your ass. Woke up late today, hasn't really eaten much, and then had to save your ass again, along with Isaac's. So, I think she's earned some rest. Where's everyone else?"_

Felix thought back on all those details. The young healer had gone through an awful lot in the space of a few days, all of the latter being because of him. He should probably apologise to her for it all later. It would be the right thing to do after all.

_"Sheba and Ivan are doing their usual disappearing act."_ Piers explained, _"To my knowledge Isaac and Jenna are discussing the events of earlier."_

Garet nodded, though his mind was elsewhere, _"So, Felix, plans for tomorrow?"_

_"We get up. Leave. Sail."_ Felix answered readily.

_"Not gonna be as easy as that though, is it?"_

_"No."_

_"Gonna be very complicated and exploration heavy?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Awesome."_

Piers began laughing at the quick and simple exchange between the two of them. Turning quizzically, the two Valean men stared at him, _"Were you two always like this?"_

_"More or less."_ Felix shrugged.

_"Seems like it." _Garet smirked in return.

Piers laughed harder. It was odd to see the Lemurian laugh very often. Even though it was only a small chuckle at the minute, it was still rather rare, unless he was in one of his moods. Felix and Garet shrugged to each other, not seeing what was amusing with how they spoke to each other. Chalking it up to the Lemurian still being rather odd to them in general, they disregarded it.

_"How is everyone?"_ Felix asked, directing his attention to Garet, ignoring the humoured breaths of Piers.

_"Better now that you and Mia are alright. We were all pretty tense for a while. I was worried as hell, Isaac was trying to keep everyone going, Piers was watching over you, Sheba broke down for a while, but it was all good, Ivan was fine, Jenna was the worst. You should probably have a brother talk with her when you can."_ Garet replied, _"We're all in fairly good spirits now though, except Mia, she seems really distracted by something."_

Piers leaned in quickly, his laughter quickly dissipating, _"She did seem to be acting oddly after she healed you earlier. I think she's worried that this might be a regular thing."_

_"She's not a fan of the whole violence thing. It could just be the stress of the past few days, but maybe you should talk to her anyway, assure her it'll be easier for a while." _Noticing Felix making to speak, Garet curtailed him,_ "I know it won't. There's bound to be sometimes when everything's quiet though. Times for fun, relaxation, laughter and flattery."_

_"You'll be rather fond of those times, won't you, Garet? Provided you spend them with Mia."_ Piers smirked, nudging the Valean in the arm with his elbow, _"So, when did you fall for her?"_

_"Whoa!"_ Garet raised his hand quickly, _"Shut up, man!"_

_"He likes Mia." _Piers whispered to Felix, although audible enough for anyone within five feet of him to hear.

_"Hey, be quiet!"_ Garet cut across, _"I don't need this as public knowledge thanks. It's difficult enough."_

_"Mia, huh?"_ Felix intoned, _"I think she'd be good for you. Opposites do attract after all, and she is your complete opposite."_

_"And yours."_ Piers winked, nudging Felix just as he had Garet.

Felix sighed. As did Garet. Piers chuckled to himself. Then Garet's face changed curiously and he started waving his finger at something behind Felix. It took Felix a moment to decipher exactly what the Mars Adept was trying to put across.

He turned in his seat, sighing mentally as Isaac and Jenna approached. Isaac was smiling while Jenna frowned. They sat beside him. Isaac offered his greetings to them and they sat in silence watching Jenna. Jenna showed her embarrassment clearly through her state. Her cheeks were scarlet as she stared at her swinging feet. She fiddled with the lining around her clothes and shuffled nervously on the seat. A small noise escaped her.

_"What?"_ Garet asked for a clearer sound.

A slightly louder, yet still incomprehensible, noise escaped again. This time they simply waited silently with their eyes fixed on her. Felix would have spoken, if he had not learned to not interrupt even her thoughts. It would be best to just let her say it and then respond. After several moments of continued silence she managed to speak properly.

_"I overreacted… sorry."_ She mumbled, _"When you two fought. I'm just worried that's all. I'm sorry."_

Felix took her hand in both of his, _"I understand, Jenna. It's okay." _He said softly.

She pulled her brother into a rib-cracking hug, squeezing him closer and closer. Felix, ever calm, did not allow his discomfort to show rather he returned the hug tenderly. Then, when the hug was done, Felix nodded to Isaac and Jenna as they went back outside to stargaze. It was then that Garet and piers reminded that he should put Mia's fears at rest, and in a more understanding way than he usually spoke.

* * *

Curled up on her bed, Mia sat silent. Her Djinni sat at its end. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. She didn't know what exactly she was crying for. It might have been the stress of the past few days. It might have been fear for the remainder of the quest. It might have been worry for Isaac and Felix. It might just have been Felix. She couldn't tell. She was just glad that the small tears remained in the corner of her eyes, where they could be easily blinked away.

_"Fizz… w-what's wrong with me?"_ She whispered sadly, hoping that her most trusted companion might have some insight for her. He did live within her mind after all.

_"Miss Mia, what is it that bothers you?"_ The Djinn responded, tilting to the side slightly.

Mia stared blankly at herself in the mirror on the opposite wall. She had changed from her blue-white robes into her white nightgown. She had planned on going to bed, but found it impossible to keep her eyes closed. Her mind refused to let her sleep. She just kept… thinking. Worst of all she just kept thinking about Felix. He was okay for now, she shouldn't worry. She still had plenty of time to save him from his curse… she shouldn't be worrying.

_"Is it Sir Felix?" _Mia turned her gaze away from her Djinni and stared into nothingness, _"What is it about him that disturbs you so?"_

_"I don't know."_ She lied to him and herself.

_"Is it a fondness?"_

Why couldn't he just shut up? _"N-no! I don't know…"_ She said quietly cautious.

_"Miss Mia, you know you're not a skilled liar."_

She pouted and wiped a lone tear away, _"I don't like him, Fizz. I just want to help. He just fought someone who used to be one of his best friends. He's so alone in the world. I just need to let him know that someone, that _I_, _care. _Besides, my duties as healer of Imil forbid liking anyone outside of my clan."_

_"Duty and nature have always been conflicting forces, Miss Mia, you can't stop it."_

As if on cue from his words there was a sharp knock on the door, and a voice came from the other side, _"Mia…"_ The chocolate eyed Venus Adept called out softly, _"May I come in?"_

Mia felt her insides constrict at the sound of the Venus Adept. Fizz returned to her as though solidifying the point. Mia nodded to herself, wiped whatever tears she could away, walked over to the door and opened it, _"Hi, Felix,"_ She said softly, a slight smile on her lips, _"come on in."_

She walked back over to her bed and gestured for him to sit beside her. He went to the bedside and sat down. She awkwardly smoothed out her gown and tried to discreetly wipe away the last small tears in her eyes. Felix sat quietly, waiting for Mia to look back at him. She slowly kicked her legs back and forth and drew shapes in the sheets of her bed with her finger. Felix, with his usual patience, watched her, waiting for her to be ready. She stretched her legs out and then pulled them close to her chest, wrapping her arms around them tightly. She rested her head on her knees and turned to look up at Felix.

_"Mia, I'm sorry if I upset you earlier."_ He said kindly.

Her eyes widened slightly at his statement, _"Wh-what do you mean?"_ She shook her head in confusion.

_"Piers told me you were acting differently after I left earlier. If I did something to offend y-"_ He stopped suddenly, scrutinising her. She tried to look back and seem calm, not an easy task with the man's piercing stare, _"You've been crying."_

She frowned. He had noticed her tears. She looked longingly into his eyes and saw sadness behind their shield of brown. It wasn't strange to see sadness behind that shield, but she didn't want to think that this time she was the cause, he had enough to deal with without her worrying him even more, _"I know, Felix, but it's just, well…I found it hard to believe you'd hurt a friend like that. So, I worry for you." _She said quietly.

_"There's more."_ Felix stated wisely.

He was too smart for his own good. Had he left it at that, perhaps Mia wouldn't be forced into an inner turmoil. Perhaps things could have been so much easier. But he had to know he wasn't alone, that she cared. Before her mind had time to catch up with her actions she had tackled him down beside her and her lips met his. It was so tender and gentle following the rough method of acquisition. Felix did nothing so shocked that his entire system seemed to fail.

* * *

Jenna and Isaac smiled to each other as they strolled through the quiet streets of Contigo. It was a relatively dark night, a lantern here and there brightened their path. Though, they didn't care where they walked, or how far. Their eyes were turned upward staring at the billions of sparkling lights in the dark screen of the night. Despite the time of year, there wasn't a single cloud in the sky, all of them had seemed to be pulled to the Jupiter Beacon and swirled around it, so the moon and the stars were allowed to dominate the darkness.

Isaac smiled wider as he stared up at them, searching for one in particular. Mia, shortly after Venus Lighthouse, had told him a belief she held, one about the stars. To her, the stars were souls, always watching over whoever they had left and the many ancestors who would follow. Isaac didn't necessarily believe this, Vale thought that all souls joined the gods in the heavens in an eternal paradise. Mia had the same belief, somewhat, but to her, stars weren't just stars. After Isaac had heard this belief, he found himself on the deck of Babi's ship, staring up at the night.

He had searched all night for a star to represent his father, one for Felix, and one for Sheba. He had searched for Jenna and Kraden too, even if he refused to believe they died. He found all the stars that he began to associate with them, it gave him a feeling of peace. Now he knew Felix, Jenna, Sheba, and Kraden weren't dead of course, but there was still that one he had for his father. He searched every night to find it, his father. And he always whispered his love for his father when he found it.

_"What did you say, Isaac?"_ Jenna asked, playfully nudging him in the ribs.

Isaac snapped to attention. A blush came along as he imagined himself telling Jenna that he had just said _'I love you'_. He wasn't sure how that might end, _"Nothing. Just… talking to dad."_

Jenna frowned a little at that. Isaac had lost his dad the same day she lost her family… he had lost him in the exact same way. Felix was the only one to survive. She counted her luck for that at least. Still… she would've loved if everyone could be okay. But what kind of world would it be if it was filled with perfection? Perfect worlds never existed, _"Sorry."_

_"It's fine, you know that."_ Isaac said, but a silence followed, _"Umm… did Mia tell you about the stars yet?"_

Jenna blinked and looked up, _"Hmm? Kraden has, but I haven't really talked to Mia that much. Why?"_

Isaac looked back up at the stars, indicating Jenna should do the same, _"They're beautiful. Mia believes each star is a soul, an image in the sky after you're gone. That's what I meant by dad. I was talking to one of the stars."_

Jenna smiled to herself at that. the idea was a little childish… but she couldn't resist the allure of it. She had always been fascinated by the stars, and after the incident she had spent entire nights staring at them, trying to find answers or peace in them. It almost seemed possible, _"That's really sweet. Which star were you talking to?"_ She asked, moving her eyes over the numerous glittering lights.

Isaac raised his hand, pointing to a star to the north-east, somewhere above Vale, _"That one."_ He smiled, knowing it pointless to indicate it, it would be impossible for her to tell exactly which one, _"It's close to being above Vale."_

Jenna smiled, hooking her arm around Isaac's, _"Do you think my parents are near it?"_ She asked, wanting to believe that she could at least see something to represent her parents. They had empty graves in Vale, but she never visited them. They weren't there, and she hated the idea of the gravestones for them. She always went to their destroyed home though, always remembering them there, as she stared upward. To think, if she could see them in something so beautiful, it would be so much easier.

Isaac nodded, _"They could be. I can't find them for you."_

Jenna tilted her head, squinting at the area Isaac had indicated as above Vale, _"How did you know which one was your father?"_

_"I never did really."_ Isaac shrugged, _"I could be completely wrong. But… I dunno… I just felt kind of right looking at it. Could be my grandparents or something. But that doesn't matter to me, I still like looking up at it."_

Jenna stared for a while. She couldn't really decide, amongst the hundreds that were in the small area, which would be her parents. She found her eyes always drifting back to two stars in particular, very close together. She didn't _feel_ anything from them in a sense, but she liked this idea, so those two were what she decided would represent her parents memory. Then, just as Isaac had, she whispered her love to her parents, assuring them she and Felix were okay.

_"It's a nice idea, isn't it?"_ Isaac intoned, _"Makes death seem… easier."_

_"Beautiful, in a way."_ Jenna responded, smiling.

The two of them continued to stare at the stars, looking at each other every now and then. Eventually the stargazing ceased, and the two began talking. And suddenly they weren't strolling through a Contigan night, but a Valean one. Their smiles grew broader and their conversations followed them back to Vale. Together they spent the night reliving their youth, as they had lost so much of it because of this quest.

So, tonight, they relived all they lost. They did all they could to fit two years of lost time into a few hours in the brightest night they had together.

* * *

Mia kept her eyes closed, purely because she was so afraid to open them now and see his face. Gods, what was she doing!? She felt like crying, she was so stupid! How in the heavens was this ever a good idea? What was wrong with her? Couldn't she just have explained everything, told him about the conflict that was raging within her? Surely he would understand. He seemed to understand everything.

Felix's mind tried desperately to restart itself. Here they were, Mia lying mostly on top of him, their lips pressed together gently. What, in all of Weyard, was this? Some cruel joke by some higher form, reminding him he could never have happiness such as this? Eventually, sense returned to him, knowing what would arise should anyone stumble upon them. He placed his hand softly on her shoulder and pushed her away gently. He was ultimately shocked and confused, but his face allowed nothing, not even his eyes. He lay on the bed, doing nothing, simply staring up at the ceiling. That had been nice.

_"Mia?"_ He asked cautiously, the ability to speak having returned, his eyes not moving from the ceiling.

_"I… I'm sorry… I…I…"_ She stammered, so horribly embarrassed. Mercury, she was a fool. What was wrong with her!? She had never even kissed a boy before, now she decided that her first would be that one? With _Felix_!?

Felix's eyes widened ever so slightly in wonder and he raised his head to look at her, _"Mia?"_ He repeated.

She looked away quickly as a flushing colour burned in her cheeks, _"S-sorry,"_ She mumbled, _"…but, I… I'm worried about you."_

Felix sighed, almost too audibly, _"I see."_ He knew all too well that there was so much more, but knew it best not to evoke unnecessary emotion.

Mia stayed silent as she waited for him to continue. Felix, though, said nothing. His perfect sense of judgement, always clear of the intrusion of emotion was now blotted by the very same. He couldn't deny that he liked Mia to some degree. Hell, he had admitted so much to her for whatever insane reason. Now, Mia had kissed him. Someone like her had kissed someone like him. What was happening to the world he knew? This situation was all his fault… wasn't it?

Mia continuously stared and avoided staring at his piercing eyes. She couldn't face his gaze of confusion and shock, he thought he wasn't showing it, but she certainly saw it. She just wished that maybe this situation would end, that this horrible silence would just break. She hated the current moment, anything would be better than this. She wished it would just be okay, that somehow Felix would understand and this wouldn't be a problem. She just wished everything wasn't so silent.

Felix pulled himself back up from his prone position and to his previous seat at the edge, _"Mia…"_ He whispered gently.

Mia missed the silence.

_"I… I'm…"_

The fact that he was stuttering didn't help her current feelings of regret.

_"I'm flattered…"_ He managed, _"Really. But, you know this won't work. I can't let it."_

_"Felix…"_ Mia started tentatively.

_"I'm sorry… Mia, this is my fault."_ Felix stated, _"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do this to you."_

Mia could feel tears forming in her eyes, he was apologising so much for what _she_ had done, _"Felix…"_

Felix stood up and moved to the door, _"I'm sorry, Mia."_

Mia watched him leave. Tears returned to her eyes, slowly breaking away and rolling along her cheeks. The fact that he blamed himself made her feel so horribly guilty. It wasn't his fault, it was hers. He shouldn't be blaming himself. She shouldn't have caused him to do everything. She was supposed to be helping him, freeing him of his curse. Instead she just seemed to be making everything worse for him. Mia grabbed her pillow, falling into her bed, letting her tears flow silently.

* * *

Felix had gone straight to bed. His thoughts were oddly muddled, more than they had been in years. He stared up at the ceiling in the increasing darkness. He felt truly sorry for Mia it was his fault that her emotions had gotten the better of her. His mind had two opposing arguments: to return and comfort her and risk provoking her emotions again or laying still and hoping one of the others would eventually comfort her. He had resigned to allowing his thoughts to drift past as he focused on counting by seconds.

The loud creaking of the door in the darkness entered his ears, followed by the playful voice of Sheba, _"Hello? Felix?"_

_"I'm here."_ He answered calmly.

She ignited a lantern, burning through the darkness with its fire and went to his side. Felix closed his eyes to prevent his eyes from burning as well. He heard the girl bound over to her and nestle on the bedside.

_"Hi, how you-What's wrong?"_ She inquired.

_"Can you go check on Mia?" _He asked. His eyes remained closed.

_"What happened?"_

Felix ignored the question and continued, _"Tell her I know why she's afraid. I will hurt her like he did."_

_"What are you talking about!?"_ She blurted out in her confusion.

_"Go." _He ordered.

Sheba frowned down at the Venus Adept. He was more disturbed than usual. The contemplation of mind-reading entered, but Felix would know to keep his thoughts in check when they were alone and he was in a sour mood. She followed his order and quickly left.

_"Take care of her."_ He said as she left the room.

His mind drifted into philosophy and he did his best to focus on it. It wasn't difficult really his philosophical nature usually delved into current problems and helped solve them. It was the creative part of his rationality. Did possessed souls deserve love? Should they be allowed any affection? Angels embodied in graceful bodies, what was their purpose? To bring divine justice or help those who should be destroyed? Mia was too gentle, loving, and graceful, to cause pain to any degree in any form to anyone. She spread light and love as she walked.

He would have very much liked to return her kiss, but he had sworn that he wouldn't. Perhaps if she knew more about him she would realise how foolish the thought was. He knew he was enamoured with her, just as Garet was. Garet… If he knew what had happened would he forgive him? Love is as cruel as kind. Friends turn on one another, hearts shatter, lives break, emotions never heal, and the sadness that love sometimes brought was a depressing thing. Was the joy of love worth this possible sadness? It couldn't be prevented. Someone always experiences it when love is forged. He felt sorry for Garet.

Love? Why was the thought so pronounced in his head? He forced it away, dismissing it as the easiest way of describing the situation. But that niggling in the back of his thoughts remained.

_Love is foolish in times of war. Discard it, but remember where for when the war is won._

Menardi's silky voice came into the mind's ears. It was an interesting quote. The Proxian had never showed any signs of deeper affection, she certainly had discarded whatever love she had. But that meant she once had it.

His mind was keen on preventing sleep once more. It was late, he was exhausted and hungry. The growl of his stomach echoed in the silently still room, the only movement was the barely flickering shadows cast by the lantern at the door. He wanted to sleep, to dream perhaps.

Sleep was easily achieved through death. Was it peaceful though? Did it dream?

* * *

Piers had caught sight of Sheba's accelerating form as he planned on retiring for the night. Normally he wouldn't have followed the usually active Adept, but there was something else in her speed. He was of course correct and it resulted in cradling the gentle healer in his arms as Sheba probed delicately for any ways to help without resorting to her Psynergy.

_"Mia… I don't know what else to ask. If you can't answer me we can't help."_

Mia knew this, but still couldn't bring herself to do anything but rock in Piers' warm, muscled arms. She wanted to explain, but what would the others think of her? She had known Felix three days, two of which she was mostly unconscious. How could she just tell them she kissed Felix and completely ruined a promising friendship? Ruined her chances to save him from his dark fate?

_"Is it okay if I read your mind?"_ Sheba had never before asked this question and never thought she ever would. At that moment, though, it seemed the only question to ask.

_"Don't, Sheba."_ Piers said softly, _"Allow her time to collect her thoughts."_

_""Thank you, Piers.""_ She couldn't voice her thought but somehow felt he knew she was thankful.

Of course, Piers knew more than this. He knew, or at the very least speculated with accuracy, what had caused this sadness in Mia. It was him, after all, who had sent Felix to talk with her. It was only common sense to arrive at the conclusion that something had happened between them, nothing cruel or malicious, but something, a fear or a mistake perhaps. He would have left to talk with Felix if it wasn't for the healer in his arms and the knowledge that Felix would most likely withhold information as always. He never let anything show. He hadn't even told Isaac and Jenna of the shocking secret he had revealed in confidence to Piers.

_"What…"_ Mia's weak voice came, _"what do you think happens to friends over time?"_

Sheba looked questioningly at Mia, unsure of how to answer. She was asking herself the exact same question about Ivan. What were they to each other? She wanted to say more than friends… but he seemed caught at the line between the two. So Sheba had no answer, thankfully Piers did.

_"It is something that grows over time… A true aki'tri'e. (friendship)"_ He explained, _"A feeling in the heart that becomes stronger over time… The passion of friendship blossoms into a righteous power, and through it, you will know which way to go."_

Mia looked up as Piers smiled down warmly to her. She returned it, although a much weaker one, through some faint tear streaks. It wasn't the answer she had hoped for, but it was the complete truth. The eight of them were living proof. As they travelled and grew closer their powers developed and they fought together bringing them closer still. How did that apply to her feelings though? How did that tell her which way to go?

_"Why do you wish to know?"_ Piers inquired.

_""I want to know what the real difference between friendship and feelings are.""_ She thought, _"I… I dunno…"_ She mumbled unable to voice her thought.

_"Sheba?"_ Piers said quickly, _"Would you mind?"_ He nodded toward the door.

_"What?"_ She asked, slightly affronted.

_"Could you watch the door and make sure no one comes in?"_ He said softly.

She pouted but nodded and retreated from the room. She didn't exactly like being told to leave. Then again, she did know that Piers would be the best hope for Mia at the minute. She usually turned to him when things became too much at time. And it had been quite a lot for Mia recently, Piers could help.

Piers released Mia from his arms and crouched down on front of her. His eyes were perfectly level with hers and allowed nothing more than seriousness, _"What happened, Mia?"_ He asked forcefully, but perfectly gentle, _"Please, tell me." _Mia tried to look away but Piers held his hand under her chin and forced her, perhaps coming across more intense than he had meant to, to look into his eyes, _"Mia, I know it was Felix. Garet and I were the one who told him to come and talk to you."_ He explained, _"We were worried for you. After you healed him you seemed distant. Please, tell me what happened between you."_

_"Piers…"_ She whispered, _"I… I…"_

_"Mia."_ He said softly.

She closed her eyes. Her tears squeezed through, _"I think you were right."_

Piers gazed quizzically at the Mercury healer, unsure of exactly what she meant.

_"I… I tried… tried to… I kissed Felix."_ Mia stammered out.

Piers was admittedly surprised and was glad her eyes were closed as it gave him time to hide it. All jokes aside, he had never actually thought that Mia may like Felix. He knew a caring, mature response was best, _"Why did you feel you had to hide this from us?"_

She shook her head.

_"Mia, no one will insult you or think you're foolish when they know how much it hurts you."_ Piers smiled, _"We all take care of each other."_

She smiled at his words and opened her brilliantly blue eyes, _"Thank you, Piers."_

_"Anytime."_ His smile grew wider, _"Why don't you tell me everything that happened?"_

Mia nodded. She took a deep breath and a minute or two to prepare herself and set all the information in her own mind. Then she told Piers everything she had felt and thought. Her confusion after Venus Lighthouse, her fear of Felix, and the night they had spent together in every detail, his curse, and her feelings of sorrow and pity for him, her admiration, and her confused feelings of fondness. She told him everything that had transpired only five minutes ago.

Piers listened passively as she let out all of her feelings, although his eyes showed an intense care. He felt great sympathy for Mia her natural emotion was tearing at her duties to her clan and confusing her beyond belief. He, if no one else, understood how duty and nature conflicted. The Lemurian court usually proved this.

_"…and then he got Sheba to tell me that…."_ She cried quietly.

Piers smiled warmly and pulled her close, he knew she had more to say but that at the moment it was difficult. She cried gladly as his warmth ran over her. He was so understanding and caring. He seemed to know exactly how to deal with the situation.

_"What did he tell Sheba?"_ He asked softly.

_"That… that he…"_ She paused, retching at the name his message had invoked, _"would only hurt me like Alex did."_

Piers nodded. He didn't know Alex but the one time he met him was enough to build an assessment of him, combined with Felix's, Jenna's and Sheba's opinions: a self-centred, arrogant, uncaring, self-serving, walking problem. He didn't know what he had done to Mia or what his relation to her was, but he was wise enough not to ask.

_"I think you should talk to Felix." _Piers said suddenly. Her eyes shot up from the warmth he offered, but he smiled on, _"Try to talk about everything. Clearly you haven't told him all you've told me, I think if the two of you understand the situation better it will be easier. Moreover, I feel it best if you seek him out. He'll be on your terms then. He won't be as prepared."_

She nodded, she didn't want to talk or be around Felix for some time, but Piers was right and there was nothing she could do about that.

_"Try and get some sleep. I think things will be clearer in the morning."_ He said gently. She obliged and pulled herself into her bed. Piers wrapped the covers around her and wiped away her tears with a small handkerchief, _"I'll hold him until you're ready."_ He winked. _"Rest now to rise again. The next morning will show you a better day."_ He said through a kind smile.

_"Thank you, Piers."_ She returned the smile as she closed her eyes, _"Good night."_

Piers smiled, wiping away whatever remnants of tears remained, and left.

_"Well?"_ Sheba demanded as Piers gently closed the door behind him.

_"Shhh, she's sleeping."_ He answered softly.

_"What about-"_

_"I'm not particularly sure, she will reveal it soon enough."_

_"I've been out here for ages!"_ She whined, _"And you didn't get anything?"_

_"I recommend you get some shut-eye as well, Sheba. It is what I hope to do. Vina nai'stri'ni." (Good night)_

Sheba pouted childishly and obliged to quietly sneaking into her room, after enough time had passed and she could be sure Mia was asleep, and followed Piers' advice. Jenna followed shortly behind, with Isaac on her heels, giggling happily.

* * *

_**GASP! Stuff happened! And more stuff WILL happen!  
SO, who actually saw the kiss coming? C'mon, be honest.  
Oh, and all the other stuff that happened in the chapter. Jenna and Isaac's section was nice, right? And what about the table with Felix, Garet and Piers where more stuff is said?  
Well... please review! I'd really love more you know, that's kind of the point. Authors need feedback to know if what they're doing is good or not, and if people actually like the story. Well... you get the point.**_

_**Oh, and I hope you all had a good Holiday and New Year! I know I did, here's to another great year! (Raises drink in a toast, downs it)**_

_**Your friend and writer,**_  
_**Droory**_


	8. Departure

_**Alrighty, another chapter!  
Apologies for the delay, but, other things had to be dealt with, you know how it is. That and I was somewhat reluctant to post this chapter... I'm not sure why... maybe it can be better... ah well.  
Of course, a big thanks to all readers out there! And if you wish to join that special thanks section reserved for reviewers you know what to do!  
Current residents of the special thanks section include:  
**__Celestia's Paladin, crazy reader, Bonar, Noel the mermaid, TrippyToastersAndABagOfChips , and Golden Sun Guy 17__**  
**_**_Special thanks guys!  
ONWARD!_**

* * *

Felix stumbled blindly through the absolute darkness. He had been walking for hours, trying desperately to find the light of the Mars Star. Without it there was no hope for the world, no hope for anything, no hope. What use was getting to Mars Lighthouse without the tiny jewel? Felix finally fell to his knees, unable to walk anymore. He failed. The world was doomed. All would soon be consumed by Gaia Falls, everything would face this darkness.

From the darkness, a sickening hiss of laughter echoed around him. Felix looked up, seeing a pair of glowing red eyes swirling in the space before him, the taunting laughter emanating from it. The shadow coiled around him, moved through him, never ceasing its laughter as it whispered every fear and doubt Felix had ever faced. It showed him every vision Felix had every seen, and all of the worst were those of his friends, of his friends broken bodies. It showed their deaths to him over and over, each more horrifying and brutal than the last. And Felix felt the taint because they were his thoughts. This is what he wanted to save them all from.

_"ENOUGH!"_ He roared, desperately hoping that it would just end, that it would kill him and be done with it.

The shadow fell silent and moved in front of him, taking the shape of an Isaac of darkness, _"You can't lead. Look at you, barely able to keep it together. Everyone knows I should be in charge. All you've done is fail again and again. But, you don't fail yourself, you fail everyone who relies on you, and loves you. You've failed Jenna time and time again, constantly hurting her, leaving her alone. You make her face these horrible challenges, never saying sorry or asking her how she is. You should die. Jenna and I will make sure of it."_

Felix struck out in rage, his hand swinging through the shadow and the image of Isaac dispersed, but the eyes remained. The shadow coiled and a dark Garet stood before him, _"You're pathetic. Weak. You couldn't even hold your own against some wyverns. You think that just because you were fighting to save the world all this time it makes you strong? Then you're an idiot, it's made you weak. Mia deserves someone who can protect her."_

He tried to beat it down again, only for the same to happen and now he was faced with a darkened Ivan, _"Because of you, Mia nearly died. What are you? Even I could have saved her from the monsters, saved everyone from all the problems you caused over the past few days. You're no leader. You're useless."_

He didn't try to hit it this time, hoping that it would remain as Ivan, but it shifted to a Sheba anyway, _"You think we care for you? That I care for you? Why? Because you jumped for me? You were just being a selfish fool. You didn't really care about saving me, you just wanted to save yourself. I'll never care about you. So, don't delude yourself. None of us will."_

He swung at it again, unable to repress his rage, only for the process to be repeated and for Piers to stand amidst the shadows, _"The fearless leader? Calm, and controlled? End the façade, you are none of these. We all know you are not. You act as though you are capable of controlling everything with ease, everyone is well aware you are barely in control of yourself. No one trusts you to lead us when they see how weak you truly are, how unfit you are to uphold your promises."_

Now the shadow swirled violently, excitedly, giggling and laughing maniacally. Felix's face dropped as Jenna formed within, _"Did you have fun? Those years you left me? Making me think I was alone? You're disgusting. I feel sick knowing you're my brother. You came back and kidnapped me! You never ask how I am. What kind of brother are you, Felix? You can't even care for your own sister. How can we trust you? Things were better before I knew you were still alive. Isaac and I were happy. You weren't getting in the way."_

_"No… NO!"_ Felix roared, swinging at the shadow once more. Behind him the shadow swirled violently, excited whispers and demented laughter came from beneath its cloak. He turned to stare into the shadowy Mia's eyes despairingly. This shadow wanted to beat him down, destroy him, before it ended him.

_"How dare you, deny me! Anyone would want me. Anyone! I could have anyone, Isaac, Garet, Ivan, even Piers. And you pushed me away? What gives you the right to deny someone like me? You can't even pretend to love. I shouldn't be surprised. Look at you, pathetic. I thought you were so strong, unstoppable. Now I see you though, you're worthless. I should have known. Isaac and Garet always told me you were no good. It seems they were right. You should die, be doomed to whatever curses you have brought upon yourself. You deserve it you miserable wretch."_

Felix closed his eyes and focused his mind on his true friends. He heard a horrifying screech as he thought of them and their purity. It continued and he felt himself get knocked to the ground. He opened his eyes to see the shadow coiling violently around nothing. He turned his head to the side and saw the bodies of his friends beside him… and his sword.

He stood up, grasping the hilt of his sword tightly, focusing on his friends. The sword was already covered in blood. He brought the blade down on the shadow as it continually screeched only for the clang of clashing steel to echo through the dark world. The shadow took his form and seemed to smirk at him as it knocked him back. They stood silent, staring each other down, swords raised to the others throat.

_"Can you best me?"_ The dark Felix taunted, _"Your fears will destroy you."_

He narrowed his eyes and focused on the shadow, his Psynergy would be of no use here, he knew he would have to rely on his swordplay. The shadow swung heavily at him, bringing another clash of steel. Overpowering each other was impossible, they were the same. They were the other. He countered with many quick, deft slashes that were easily avoided and countered. He swung, parried, blocked and stabbed, only to see himself do as he would.

Their battle raged for what seemed an eternity, neither tiring, neither losing ground, neither willing to fall. Then a soft murmur was heard amongst a brief silence in the battle. He quickly cast his eyes around as they locked blades, and saw Mia slowly stand. Several other murmurs rang out as the rest of them stood up slowly, and he heard what they were: calls for him. His blade seemed to shine a ghastly red, highlighting both of their features and, for the first time, he saw the shadows face. His own, but jet black and remorseless. Two blood red eyes flared as he stared into them. The blade shined brighter and he kicked the shadow back.

It started laughing at him and pointed the tip of his sword to his friends behind him. They were all ghastly pale, blood ran from their forms, pouring from every orifice it would allow. Each and every one of them had deep slashes through their bodies and their life spilled from it. Their tears were blood as they cried his name, desperately asking why. Felix felt his rage bubble as he saw his friends collapse again, entirely dead.

He leapt at his shadow, driving his sword, now a deep crimson, straight through the chest of it. He coughed violently, spitting blood and surprise from his mouth. He was looking up now, from where the shadow had just been, their positions reversed. He stared into his own body, his own face, as it slowly became the shadow. It smirked wide as it kicked him from the sword through his chest.

_"Your fears will destroy you."_

Felix sat bolt upright, breathing fast through the hot deluge of sweat that nightmare had brought. Taking several deep breaths and wiping tears from the corner of his eyes, Felix did his best to calm himself. Swinging his legs from his bed and standing up, trying to find a more secure footing in the world, he heard his name from somewhere nearby. Through his blurred vision he made out the form of Piers coming through the open door.

_"Another nightmare?"_ Piers inquired as he moved to his bed and took a seat.

_"I'm fine."_ Felix asserted as he straightened himself up. He was just glad to have fallen asleep, even if it allowed a nightmare.

_"You're not."_ Piers interjected, _"You rarely sleep, and when you do it's not a restful one."_

_"It won't kill me."_ He replied simply, as he began getting dressed. He was in no mood to discuss anything at the minute.

_"It might."_ Piers said quickly, _"Deprivation can lead to loss of judgement. Loss of judgement can lead to death."_

_"I'll be fine, Piers."_ He asserted again.

_"Felix, I'm asking you to share something. You can't continue like this."_

_"No."_ He said strongly, _"I have my reasons for it. I've shared enough as is and it only hurts people."_ He made for the door.

_"What about Mia?"_ Piers asked quickly, standing up from his bed and questioning him even more with his yellow eyes.

Felix stopped suddenly, _"What about her?"_ He asked cautiously. Stupid question really. Piers and Garet had sent him to speak to her last night. If Piers knew what had transpired this conversation would not soon end. Rather, it never would, it would be postponed or ignored, but always revived.

_"That's what I asked."_ Piers answered.

_"She had a rough few days, that's what was wrong last night."_ He dodged around the answers, _"And she's a good asset to the team."_

_"True. But everyone knows that. You know exactly what I'm asking, Felix."_ Piers said with the slightest tinge of impatience.

_"I don't."_ He continued toward the door.

_"Dari ru, Felix! (Damn it)"_ Piers said almost too loudly as Isaac stirred on his bed, _"Can't you admit to anything?"_

_"You've talked with Mia."_ Felix stated quickly, just to lay the facts out for them.

_"Was I that obvious?"_ The Lemurian replied dryly. Piers was one of the few to ever challenge Felix like this.

_"What did she tell you?"_ He forced himself to keep his back turned on the closest friend he'd had over the past few months.

It was Piers' turn to dodge the answers, _"This and that. Now I'm interested in your side. You do realise she was incredibly upset?"_

Felix nodded.

_"You do realise it's your fault?"_

Felix nodded again.

_"How do you plan on resolving it?"_

Felix shrugged.

_"Patience is something I own in plenty. But now even you are stretching it thin, Felix." _Piers warned, _"Perhaps you should grow up."_

Piers left ahead of him without another word. An air of coldness, perhaps literally thanks to his Psynergy, drifted past as he left. Felix was completely in the wrong and he knew it. Piers was the only one willing to challenge him on most occasions and usually resulted in him being right. Felix decided to remain where he was until he could clear the clouds in his mind.

* * *

Twirling her hair between her fingers, Jenna thought of her night with Isaac. The blonde Adept had been so sweet and loving. He just wanted to make up so much lost time with her, two years lost. He had cared for her, softly held her, reassured her, comforted her, alleviated her fears, and essentially just proved how much he missed her…

How much he loved her?

Jenna was smiling a little brighter, walking lighter, breathing cleaner air, tasting better food, everything suddenly seemed so much better after last night. She drifted away into a peaceful reverie of content. Or rather she would have if not for the emergence of an old man from the stairway.

_"Good morning all."_

_"Morning, Kraden." _She beamed, although admittedly disappointed that she couldn't continue in her mind's happy little world.

_"My, my, Jenna, you seem quite upbeat today."_ The scholar smiled as he took a seat at her table and began perusing a menu for breakfast.

Jenna tried not to blush. If Kraden had noticed this, then the fact would be obvious to everyone else. She had to try and tone it down, lest she get a talking to and a teasing, _"Oh, yeah, just happy everyone's okay now, you know?"_

_"Yes, I suppose it was a rather rough few days."_ Kraden responded, still scanning over the options available to him for breakfast, _"Hopefully the journey to Prox will not be quite as eventful."_

Jenna smiled at this. That was a nice thought, but when events concerned their little group things were never often easy. They were always very eventful and convoluted. It just seemed to be the way if you were going to save the world, _"Hopefully, but first we gotta find an Element rock for me. I'm feeling left out."_

_"Ah, yes, Magma Rock I believe. Lies somewhere in Northern Gondowan if memory serves. With the upgrades to the ship we shouldn't need to sail all the way south to gain access to it. Provided these Wings of Anemos function as Master Hama has promised. I do look forward to seeing them and unlocking the mysteries of Magma Rock. I wonder what secrets it has for us."_ Kraden replied, after placing his order with the kind waitress who had come to the table, _"Though, I hope it doesn't involve quite as much climbing as Air's Rock."_

Jenna frowned a little to the elderly scholar, _"You really shouldn't put yourself in harm's way so much, it's not healthy Kraden."_

_"On the contrary my dear, I believe it is quite healthy. Much healthier than sitting in a dusty room studying books by people who know nothing of Adepts or Psynergy, basing their facts off of pure mythology anyway."_ Kraden replied, _"Though, they have been correct on a number of occasions. The books on board the ship are far more accurate, though."_

_"There are books on the ship?"_ Jenna asked, truly surprised. How had she not found any after spending nearly a year on it?

_"There's a library of sorts near the lowest deck, though I've relocated most of the texts to my quarters."_ Kraden explained, which explained the large absence of them. Jenna had explored the ship from top to bottom after all, clearing out some rather nasty jellyfish as she did.

A small silence fell on them for a short while. Jenna smiled over to where Ivan, Sheba and Garet were sitting, laughing together. She wasn't sure why she hadn't joined them when she had first come down. Ivan and Garet suddenly started acting demented or something like that and Jenna remembered _exactly _why she had chosen to give them a wide berth.

_"So, Jenna, are you excited?"_ Kraden asked suddenly, seeming much younger as he spoke, childlike even.

_"For what, Kraden?"_ She asked quizzically, wondering what could have possibly spurred such excitement in the old scholar.

_"For the return of Alchemy, my dear!"_ Kraden exclaimed, almost sounding shocked that Jenna was not feeling the same as he was.

_"Oh I guess… I kinda just want this quest to be over though. I wanna go home."_ She said quietly, thinking back on everything they had gone through and how it would most likely just get much harder as they got closer to the end of their quest.

_"But, Jenna, the return of Alchemy, the force that gives shape to all things, how can you not be excited?"_ Kraden asked, primed to jump out of his seat he was so excited. Jenna was a little amused by this, sometimes he became a little strange in his more scholarly moments of excitement.

_"I suppose I'm just more worried about trying to light Mars Lighthouse is all."_ Jenna shrugged. It was true after all. Things had just been getting harder and harder as they came to the Great Western Sea, so it was likely to get even worse.

_"Ah of course, I suppose you will be fighting through it all, I'm sorry, Jenna."_ He frowned as he pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, _"You must forgive me, I tend to forget the difficulties since it is all of you who go through them and not I."_

_"It's okay, Kraden, you're a scholar, the best in the world, and it's understandable that you'd be so excited."_ She smiled kindly to him, _"But, if you'd like we could give you a sword and you could try your luck next time a group of monsters comes at us."_

_"Thank you, Jenna. I'd rather not. Really, I just can't believe we're so close to returning Alchemy. I suppose I should thank Saturos and Menardi for that."_

_"Kraden, how can you even say that!?"_ Jenna said, shocked at the very thought of thanking the two Proxian warriors.

_"Well if they had never taken us from Vale I never would have seen any of this."_

_"Well I guess… and Felix and Alex made sure we weren't hurt…"_

_"Precisely my dear, they weren't bad people, they were simply desperate. Their hometown is on the verge of destruction, as well as Mars Lighthouse itself. It's sad they'll never see its fire."_ Kraden said solemnly.

Jenna felt a slight pang of pity for the two Proxians, who now lay at the bottom of the Well of Venus Lighthouse. True they had kidnapped her and Kraden, but they never expressed hostility or anger towards them. They always ensured that they were fed and whenever possible fed well. They had extra tents for when they weren't within reach of a town for them to sleep in, and even paid for them to sleep in an inn when they were able.

Perhaps the assumption that they were evil or insane had taken root purely from her not completely understanding their motives. They had tried to kill Isaac, Garet, Ivan and Mia, but they were trying to stop them. Isaac and the others didn't know lighting the Lighthouses would save the world, had they known they would have helped. The two Proxians fanaticism about lighting the Beacons may have seemed deceptive though.

Jenna and Kraden sat in silence, mostly in respect for the two, partly because of awkwardness.

* * *

Mia stood outside the door. Piers had woken her up early, and told her that Felix was just up. He was still in his room, apparently. She breathed deeply several times. How would this even work? After last night everything had changed. She couldn't expect this to be easy. There was absolutely no chance that Felix would even entertain her, but she had to try. She rapped gently on the door twice. She had decided how to do this, it would give her the strength she needed if she did it like she planned.

Felix opened the door, _"Mia-"_

_"We need to talk."_ She stated clearly, grabbing his sleeve and leading him down to her empty room. Quite frankly she couldn't believe what she was doing. She felt rather… strong. Giving orders to _Felix _like this, _making_ him follow her and bending him to her whim. If she could maintain this strength, keep this momentum going, perhaps she could break though the barriers Felix had constructed around himself. Maybe she could begin to save him.

Behind her, Felix was rather astonished. He hadn't expected Mia to be so forward about this. Piers, he reasoned, was the perpetrator. He was up to a lot lately. One had to wonder about the inner workings of a Lemurian mind. Indeed, they had no need to rush, so they were patient, they could wait, but only in their world. Everything moved faster for them here, so Piers had to work faster to counteract. He was good at it, which Felix was often thankful for, sadly now was not one of those times.

_"I'm sorry." _Mia stated as she closed the door and placed her back firmly against it. She couldn't let Felix leave until she had made her point clear, made him understand, _"I shouldn't have kissed you. I just feel really confused lately."_

_"That's my fault."_ Felix replied easily, too easily, without missing a beat, _"I made you worry for me."_

Mia shook her head, _"It wasn't your fault. It was mine. I'm the one who followed you down there and asked you everything, remember?"_

Felix did not agree with her view, _"I was the one who answered everything."_

_"Listen to me, Felix."_ Mia said stepping forward, surprised by the strength in her own voice, _"It's not your fault. Eventually it was all going to come out, and it would have happened at the worst time. It's better that you got it off your chest. I know you have plenty more secrets, and I'm sorry, I really am, but I'm involved now, so let me help."_

_"I do not need help, Mia. And if I did, I can assure you that kissing me is not the way to do it."_ Felix retorted.

Mia nodded, slightly put off by the tone of his voice, but she had to remain strong, _"I agree. That was stupid of me, and I'm sorry. I had to show you that you have people who care for you. You have seven Adepts here who would die for you, Felix. Four, including myself, who, as recently as three days ago, were out for your blood. Let me help, tell me what's wrong. You can vent on me. I don't mind, what it is."_

Felix scowled, he wasn't in the mood for this kind of talk. This is exactly what he wanted to avoid, _"How about annoyance or frustration?"_ He asked, even though it was rare for him to feel as such Mia was currently provoking it.

_"I don't mind, it can be anything."_ Mia said, trying her best to remain strong but show care and understanding for him, _"And I'm sorry if you're frustrated with me, but that's your own fault. You're so stubborn it hurts. You've done this to yourself."_

_"Because I have to. I told you that."_

_"I don't want you to face it alone. Your curse, or your secrets, or your problems, whatever it is, all that pain, I want to be there to help you." _The words were tumbling out of Mia's mouth faster than she could comprehend them, _"I don't want you to be alone."_

Felix bit his bottom lip to stop himself from shouting down the girl. She was just trying to help him, getting angry would give her more reason to pursue the topic. Why, oh why, did he share his secrets with Mia? Maybe the lack of sleep had been getting to him. Maybe he was just glad that someone was actually showing care for him, _"Mia, I told you… I _have_ to face it alone."_ Felix explained again, _"I don't want any of _you_ to be hurt. I never wanted to drag anyone else into this. It was supposed to be just Saturos, Menardi, Alex, and I, on this quest. So, please, don't continue this."_

_"We're in it now, Felix. Whether you like it or not."_ Mia stated, _"We're all in this together, you can't be alone in it. I won't let you. I want to free you of your curse."_

_"Listen to me, Mia. You want to help, keep the others from falling apart, but leave me out of it."_ Felix replied, doing his best to remain courteous, _"I don't need these distractions. I have enough to deal with as is."_

_"And you wouldn't if you let me help. Why can't you, of all people, see the logic in that?"_ She questioned.

Felix exhaled a breath through his nose, _"Just drop it, we need to leave soon."_

_"Don't change the subject."_ Mia demanded.

He glared in response. Mia, feeling her resolve shrivel away within her, stared him down as best she could. He quickly moved past her and out the door. She pouted, feeling a familiar sensation in the back of her eyes. She wouldn't let the tears come. And if they did, she wouldn't surrender to them. She would brush them away and move on. She was strong. She knew she was. All she needed was to believe to make it so, believe and act. She could help him, she knew she could, because she _was_ strong.

* * *

Half an hour passed innocently before everyone was awake and alert enough for Felix to address them. Felix looked around the table. Everyone looked back at him with innocent smiles and waves. He wasn't keen on disrupting the good mood that had finally settled upon the group after the recent events that had transpired, but sadly he had to.

He stood up from his seat and addressed the whole group, _"Today, we set sail for the Northern Reaches. It has no mercy and if you are not prepared its harsh unforgiving weather will destroy you."_ He said concisely, he wanted everyone to be completely aware of the dangers that they would soon be facing, _"However, weather isn't the only thing we face out there. In the Northern Reaches there are monsters far stronger than anything we have faced before. Monsters so strong even Saturos and Menardi opted to avoid them. They will come at you hard, fast and won't give up until either you or they are dead."_

The group stared up at Felix, silently absorbing his words.

_"As you know Gaia Falls, the edge of our world, grows and consumes more with each passing moment. We will need to make haste, the quicker we complete our quest, the more of our world we'll save. We must not allow innocent lives be destroyed by our hesitation."_

They all looked at him thoughtfully, remembering the islands they had visited by the edge of Gaia Falls, the expanse of nothing that dropped down beneath them, a despairing nothingness. Darkness, emptiness and death were all that awaited those unlucky few who would never return from their fall from it. Each of them at that moment, Felix knew, silently swore not to let it consume any more of the world.

_"Past the Northern Reaches is the edge of Weyard. It is on this edge that Mars Lighthouse sleeps. Within its cold walls, will be traps, challenges and dangers, determined to keep us from lighting its warming Beacon. But we must stay strong and stay together, if we don't we will fail."_ He paused considering his next words carefully, _"I assume that when we are so close affection will form for some of us."_ His eyes quickly glanced over Mia with perhaps more obviousness than he had intended.

_"But, in battle, these feelings _must_ be left behind. You will all fight as we have done so far."_ These were the words he had not wanted to so much as utter, he had hoped that each of them would be strong enough to do the right thing, but he couldn't take that risk with them, let alone himself, _"If anyone abandons the fight to try and save one of us out of feelings of love, you might just doom the rest of us. That goes for everyone."_ He looked around and saw them looking up at him, worried, _"I know this will be hard to do, but if one of us must die to save Weyard, you must all be willing to make the sacrifice. If we are injured and you make the wrong choice over who to save out of feelings of love, you could well destroy our hopes of saving the world."_

He paused and looked down sadly. He then looked around the table his sadness masked by defiance, _"Have I made myself clear?"_ He said loudly, his strong tone spurring on the others.

_"Yes, Felix!"_ The table resounded proudly.

Kraden began to clap slightly and the rest of the table followed suit. Felix smiled and sat back down. Mia smiled a little to him from across the table.

_"Alright, everyone order some food, eat up, and get ready. We leave as soon as everyone is packed. Carriages are waiting to bring us, and the townspeople, to the ship."_

They all placed their orders with a waitress that came around and ate heartily. This feeling of unity and friendship that was so strong in their group made Felix incredibly proud and happy. The close bonds each of them had forged with each other in the face of danger and death, he wasn't sure if anything could truly bring people closer than impending doom. Their determination to save each other, to help each other and, in general, to simply cheer each other up, was incredible. For once, Felix was glad that he was staring death in the eyes day after day.

The group finished eating and returned to their rooms to pack their things. They were all to meet at the ship when ready. Felix looked out the window and could scarcely make out the Aerie of Jupiter Lighthouse in the distance. Black clouds swirled around it violently as thunder and lightning roared. He knew that soon the clouds would expand and would appear in more places, causing destructive storms, lightning showers and hurricanes across the world and coupled with Mercury's power the world would soon become freezing even the deserts would feel cold, snow and hail storms would rage through the skies. Venus's beacon would cause earthquakes and upheavals of towns, pointless destruction. He knew when he ignited Mars' Beacon that volcanoes may erupt, magma may bubble forth from beneath the earth, but they would all soon die down, he didn't have a choice. He wouldn't let homes and livelihoods be destroyed by elemental disasters because of anymore delays.

* * *

Piers' thoughts dwelled on time, yet again. It had been a near everyday occurrence since he first met Felix. As far as he was concerned everyone lived for what could be hundreds of years. He realised how old he was in comparison to all of his companions and had always considered himself a child at heart. Though after the time he had spent with everyone he quickly realised that he was nothing like that. If anything he was the most mature, save perhaps Felix, Sheba was truly the playful child.

He drew his thoughts carefully away from his age and what he considered he was and thought of the meaning of time, past, present and future. Perhaps history repeated, surely what they had sworn to do in relighting the Lighthouses was proof of this, or maybe it was cyclical and everything might be repeated in the same way with the exact same players, or maybe time was simply linear with no repeat and everything that happened from this thought to the next was new.

Regardless, the time he knew of would not be the same for his friends, they did not have as much to experience as he did, had, or would. The time remaining to help Felix was waning quickly, they had but a few months to save him, and all but Mia were ill-equipped to do that. Yet, it seemed that the likelihood of her being able to get to him in time was non-existent. He was so resolutely set in his ways, into the life he had dug himself into, behind the shields he had set around himself, that the task Piers had tasked Mia with seemed to be too much of an ordeal.

But, Piers believed in the Imilian healer. He was unsure why, but he saw something in her, something that spoke volumes over what should be possible. It was something ethereal, celestial, and it made that which should be an impossible task into something that could be accomplished. There was that one voice that told him he thought too much of her, that he was just putting his last hopes on her for his first friend in the outside world, but he still believed. Of course, she could not do it alone, and he wouldn't dream of letting her, he would do all he could to help, but dealing with Felix would be something for her to do in private.

_"Are we going yet, Piers?"_ Garet whined as they stood on the deck of their proud ship. He stared down at the beach growing tired of the inaction and repetitiveness of the past few days.

Piers opened his eyes from thought at the loud voice, _"The others need to get here first, Garet. Remember, you, Kraden, and I were the first carriage to leave."_ He answered yet again, still amazingly patient in stark contrast to Garet.

_"Ugh, what's taking them so long?"_ He groaned sliding down against the door to the lower decks into a sitting position.

_"Patience, Garet… look, here's Ivan now."_ He said pointing down to the shore.

_"Finally… HEY! WHERE ARE THE OTHERS!?"_ He shouted to the sky, unable to see the Jupiter Adept.

_"They're on their way now, I saw the others as I left, they were just getting a ride. Comfy, Garet?"_ Ivan joked when he got on-board and saw Garet nearly lying on the deck, _"So, Piers, where's our ship?"_

_"Stolen."_

_"Alex."_ Ivan assessed, _"I doubt Karst and Agatio would have brought him with them after the incident on the Aerie. And genius here said we wouldn't_ need_ to bring our orb off the ship."_ He pointed at Garet,_ "__Way to go, all my stuff was on that thing, you know. All of our stuff was."_

_"Hey, how was I supposed to know something would happen with them? Or that somene with Psynergy would actually figure out how to pilot it? It took us a full week before we could sail properly. Besides, shouldn't we actually be worrying about Alex?"_ Garet grumbled angrily from the floor, _"Like, what's he really after, or what's he up to, is he evil, or just really annoying and teleport-y?"_

_"He claimed he wanted to see Alchemy returned."_ Piers sighed, _"But there is most likely another motive."_

The three of them nodded and stood in silence, reflecting on the Imilian Mercury Adept who had helped Saturos and Menardi and now Karst and Agatio. Piers reflected on the first time he met Alex. He appeared as a native Lemurian to him, of course he knew this impossible. He instilled an uncertainty, which brought fear, in him. He was so calm and patronizing toward everyone and he even knew about Piers, almost too much about him, before he had even met him. There was a calm evil behind his, sometimes kind others insulting, words.

_"Well this looks like fun!" _The voice broke the four of them out of their reflections on the Imilian traitor. They turned to see Jenna beaming at them, her arm around a smiling Isaac.

_"Hey there, you two."_ Ivan winked.

_"So,"_ Jenna started, _"what's with the weird mood?"_

_"We were talking about Alex…"_ Ivan said calmly.

_"Oh…"_ Jenna said quietly.

_"It would be best not to talk about him when Mia gets here,"_ Isaac said, _"she gets really emotional whenever we talk about it."_

_"Yeah, so, on the matter of changing the subject,"_ Garet said quickly, pulling himself back up against the wall, _"where are we all staying?"_

_"Me and Shebs are sharing a room!" _Jenna cut in excitedly, _"No room for anyone else, argue amongst each other!"_ She ran downstairs to said room before anyone could object.

_"So, who wants in with me then?"_ Ivan asked, to which the others all glanced at each other. All were asking the same question really: 'Who could handle living with Ivan?' Thankfully they reached a consensus rather fast.

_"You're with me, bro!"_ Garet laughed, wrapping his arm around the boy's shoulder, _"If you stayed with anyone else this relationship would be over like that!"_ He laughed, snapping his fingers.

Isaac and Piers smirked to each other as the _'couple'_ went below deck, _"That leaves us, Mia, and Felix… so, how's that going to work?"_

_"It's really a question of who would be most respectful for Mia and give her privacy when the need arises." _Piers answered, preparing so much, _"And seeing as Felix is the most private person we've ever known I think that makes him a likely roommate."_

_"I'm not sure that's a good idea… I mean, I'd stay with Mia or Felix, not like it would be a problem. Sure, Felix is private and all, but I think he's almost _too_ private, you know? Not sure if Mia would particularly enjoy him as a roommate."_

_"I'm positive they will warm to each other."_ Piers smiled.

_"If you say so…"_ Isaac shrugged. He was unsure of Piers' reasoning, but didn't argue. Piers would have known the Felix of nowadays better than anyone, so maybe he did know best. And, Mia could easily visit any of the other rooms without difficulty. Hell, maybe she'd even bring Felix back to a semi-enjoyable person. Accepting the fact, he grabbed his bags, and Piers' and went to claim whatever room was theirs.

Piers smirked as he remained on deck, waiting to see the approaching figures of Sheba, Mia, and Felix. He had expected more of an argument from Isaac, more to defend his friend, yet he had conceded rather quickly. Perhaps he just respected Piers' wisdom, his age, something to that effect. Either way, Piers just prayed that this would help the two along.

* * *

The sky was a stunning contrast through her window. Trails of long dark storm clouds dragged themselves across the sky, gathering around the Jupiter Beacon. The blackened swirls of rain-heavy clouds dampened a crystalline blue that went through the heavens. But her mind was not focused on the conflicted weather that would no doubt become perilous to them. It was where it had been for days, the image of purity behind chocolate eyes.

Felix had been good once, innocent even. She didn't care what he might have done since the Boulder tore him from the life he knew. It would just be something that he kept as an eternal scar for himself. So, she would have to help him, she would have to heal those scars and help him become who he once was. But he was too stubborn to shed his veil of isolation and darkness, too stubborn to ask for any help or to accept any of it. She had promised to save him and she had to get close to him to do that. Why was he so stupid?

_"Hey, Mia, we gotta get going soon. We're already behind everyone else. Most of the other carriages have left already, it's just you, me, and Felix still here."_

The bright voice brought her back. Sheba was smiling innocently down at her, laden with her own travelling bags. Mia's were as of yet unpacked and strewn about her bed, _"Oh… I'll be right behind you."_ She answered, not completely truthfully.

_"Do you want help with all this?"_ She gestured to the pile of clothes and supplies.

Mia shook her head and smiled brightly.

_"If you're sure."_ Sheba mumbled doubtfully.

She nodded warmly, _"Tell Felix I won't be much longer."_

_"Ooh, tell _Felix_, huh?"_ She giggled as she skipped from the room.

Mia's blush hit without warning at Sheba's words and she was glad the Adept had skipped away. Why had her slight tease embarrassed her so much? What was wrong with her as of late? Normally such small teases wouldn't have brought so much as a thought to mind, but now she was embarrassed at the mention of Felix. She had tried to kiss him, that's all it was. She was still embarrassed from that. That's the lie she told herself. She wouldn't accept what she was really thinking. It was silly.

Like him? It was ridiculous. She just wanted to help him. Who cared if he was handsome, in a dark kind of way? Who cared if his muscular body felt so warm against her when they hugged? Who cared if she had dreamt of the two of them together? Who cared if she loved his smile? Who cared if she had feelings for him? No, no feelings. She told herself quickly. The _'feelings'_ were just her want to help him, her fear for him. Help, that's all.

She shook her head and realised she had been folding the same robe for several minutes now. She did her best to focus on packing her equipment, clothing, and medicinal supplies correctly. She did well for the majority of it, but that thought of Felix's smile crept back to the forefront of her mind. Instead of focusing it away though, she went with it, smiling herself as she continued her work. Then she was done, time seemed to have flown. But now she was faced with four heavy bags of equipment to carry. Where was Garet when you needed him?

She let out a laboured breath as she slung two of the bags over her shoulders and their heavy weight came down on her. She closed her eyes as she tried to pull herself back into a comfortable position of strength. She reached down for her other bags only to meet another hand. Her eyes shot open and followed the arm to the eyes of deepest brown.

_"Fe-Felix!"_ She said quickly as she quickly withdrew her hand, _"S-sorry, I'll hurry up."_

_"Don't worry."_ He said simply, avoiding eye contact, picking up the two remaining bags and relieving her of the weight of one around her shoulder. He slung all three around his back and seemed completely comfortable with the extra weight, _"Let's go."_

Mia nodded and was tempted to hold his hand as they walked, _"Thank you, Felix. I'm sorry."_

_"It is no trouble."_ He assured keeping his eyes fixed ahead of him as they pushed open the inn door, _"I prefer helping."_

She beamed up to him, fully thankful, _"Thank you, very much."_ She said brightly as they travelled through the town to the carriages meeting place, _"But, where's your gear?"_

_"I had Piers take it with him while I paid and thanked the inn staff for their hospitality." _Felix answered and they continued silently on their walk.

Mia quickly grew uncomfortable beside him he was acting as though nothing had happened between them and it was as though he was simply helping a stranger. Was that how easy it was for him? Did he just disregard every past experience he didn't like and start fresh? That couldn't be right. She realised she was watching him as they walked. His hair wisped gently on the wind. An ebony current of strength and grace in harmony, it reflected him in some way.

_"Felix? Can we talk?"_ She asked innocently.

_"About what?"_ He tilted his head to catch her in the periphery of his vision.

_"Anything?"_ She shrugged.

_"It depends on the topic, Mia."_ He said quickly, concisely, _"You should know that by now."_

_"I know…"_ She frowned, _"It's just that-Ah!"_ She yelled as her foot sank into a gap in the earth. She cringed as she saw the dirt come closer and shut her eyes tight, only to fall into a soft grip. She opened her eyes and Felix's face was no more than a few inches from her own. She could do nothing about the colour that immediately flushed with her thoughts.

_"Are you okay?"_ He asked softly.

She swallowed hard as though trying to force her own thoughts back down with it and nodded, _"Y-yes. Thank you."_

_"How's your foot?"_ He asked quickly looking to where she had tripped and assessing that her ankle may have twisted, _"It could be sprained."_

She looked down and rotated it, searching for any source of pain. None were present. It was then she realised she was parallel to the ground in Felix's strong arms. She swallowed again and motioned upward, _"I'm fine. I just wasn't watching where I was walking."_

Felix nodded and helped her to her feet and they continued silently. Now she was just too embarrassed to talk. Minutes stretched on, Felix carrying all of her equipment, in absolute silence. Mia could hear the insects in the grass around them. She desperately wished that she _had_ been watching where she was going, at least then she could have talked with him. They climbed into a coach where Sheba was already waiting. Mia was very glad the girl was there. She could diffuse the tension, make the air light and easy. She did, and Mia smiled fully, though Felix remained silent and withdrawn. Over an hour and a half later they found themselves at the docks, surrounded by villagers waiting to see the ship of legend.

* * *

Mia's new room was nihilistically plain. There were only five bedrooms, four regular and one for the captain, on the ship and this one had to be the darkest. There were two beds, two chests of drawers and a single candle atop one. It was unbelievably bare and depressing.

_"Feel free to put your equipment where you please."_ Felix said as he placed her bags on her new bed, _"Meet back on deck when you're ready."_

She watched him with a frown as he left. His room was so blank and now she was there. She marvelled at the fact that she had to share a room with him, whatever fate, chance, or divine blindness caused it. All the other rooms had been occupied before she and Felix arrived. Sheba had darted to her room with Jenna before anything could be arranged. Mia was genuinely surprised when Felix hadn't tried to negotiate a switch with anyone. She thought that after everything that had happened between them it would have been easier to make her stay with one of the others. Maybe that would have made all that had happened obvious to the others though…

She went to his side of the room and searched around, hoping to find some glimpse into the Venus Adept. She knew she shouldn't, she knew she should respect his privacy, but curiosity won her over and she did so anyway. His side was almost as empty as the rest of the room, two other pairs of neatly folded tunics were placed in the very bottom drawer the rest were empty.

He had left his travelling bags on the floor at the foot of his bed. She carefully unfastened the first, finding some quick healing items for more difficult wounds. His second held a large box. A set of armour was contained within, shining in a mix of navy and silver, along with a very decorative mask. She recognised the symbol on the armour, it was the same as the one that had adorned Saturos'. She could see her reflection in their sheen and smiled to herself. His last bag simply contained yet another tunic and several other items of clothing. She sighed as she refastened the bags.

She resigned to unpacking her own supplies and the hope that she could brighten up the dark room eventually. She organised her supplies and equipment carefully into the small space that she had. Then something caught her eye: an eye watching her through the crack in the door. It seemed ethereal. As if it had been hovering for the split second she had seen it. Fear shot through her spine like an electric joke from Ivan. It disappeared as soon as she had seen it and she bounded to the door. Her eyes darted back and forth down the hall, but there was nothing.

_"Mia!"_ Piers announced from the stairwell, advancing toward her, but, upon seeing her, his expression changed, _"Are you okay?"_

She shook herself, _"Y-yeah. Just thought I saw something is all. Looked like an eye."_

_"Hmm, that's new." _Piers commented, _"Usually it's a jellyfish or something. Nothing serious I'm sure."_

Mia nodded, though unconvinced.

_"How did your talk with Felix go this morning?"_ He asked, ushering himself into her room.

_"Umm… strangely."_ She answered, fully truthful, it hadn't really gone well, _"I mean, I apologised for last night. I explained that I want to help him and everything else. I tried my best to get him to understand. I tried to make him see that I care for him, that I don't want to see him hurt. He just doesn't want to hear me though. He even got a bit angry."_

_"Really?" _Piers seemed doubtful, _"That's interesting. It might be a good thing. Either way, I'm convinced that if anyone is capable of helping him now, it's you." _He winked at her, _"Keep at it. I'm sure you'll wear him down eventually. Maybe you can cure his insomnia and nightmares. Oh and can you get the others? Time to leave."_

She pretty much had to since he had already gone back to the deck, _"Okay!"_ She called out after him, exaggerating false distaste for it.

Frantic laughter was heard behind one of the doors as she knocked. Jenna opened the door, wiping away a tear of mirth, with a wide open-mouthed smile. Sheba and Ivan were struggling to hold off their giggling as they waited for Mia's message.

_"Felix wants everyone up on the deck."_ She said as she smiled sweetly to them. The room was much brighter than hers. It was exactly the same, but it was homelier and more welcoming. The air of friendliness and happiness permeated through the wood. Mia found the source of the mirth at the back of the room. Jenna, Ivan, and Sheba, seemed to be watching their Djinn put on some form of show. The thing was that the Djinn were not actually doing a good job, and therein lay the hilarity.

_"Alright."_ Ivan laughed.

_"Are the three of you staying in here?"_ Mia asked dubiously, peeking in, noticing only two beds.

_"I was gonna, but apparently Jenna isn't too keen on the idea of me sharing a bed with her. Thinks I'll be doing stuff to her late at night. That's more Garet's department. So, she made me stay with him."_ Ivan replied, nudging Jenna and laughing, _"Hey wait, where are you staying?"_

_"Umm… with Felix."_ She muttered.

_"Ooh!"_ The two Jupiter Adepts laughed aloud at her embarrassment, _"Gonna get lucky, huh?"_

Behind them, Jenna was looking away, trying to prevent that particular image of her brother.

Mia blushed furiously, _"Ivan!"_ She squealed and punched him playfully in the arm.

_"Don't worry about it, Mia."_ He laughed in return and winked to her, _"C'mon. Let's not keep the calm one waiting."_

_"Coming, Mia?"_ Jenna questioned as she walked past.

_"I have to get Isaac."_ She explained with a smile.

_"I'll come with." _Jenna smiled.

The two Jupiter Adepts had already disappeared upstairs but there laughter echoed through the still unfamiliar halls. Mia and Jenna giggled as together as they moved to the room Isaac would be occupying with Piers. Together they knocked on the door.

Isaac answered the door and smiled when he saw them, _"Oh, hi. What do you need?"_ He asked brightly.

_"Felix wants us on deck."_ They relayed simultaneously.

_"Alright, cool. Let's go."_ He said.

_"Why didn't you stay with Garet?"_ Mia probed.

Isaac answered with a dubious stare,_ "Mia… do you remember what Garet's room was like on our ship? No way am I staying there."_

Mia was forced to recall the particularly unpleasant memory of when she entered Garet's room once, only to nearly faint because of the lack of clean air contained within. The air had been heavy with Garet's week old stench. She couldn't help but laugh and agree with him. She beamed brightly as she led the two back onto deck. Everyone was gathered in an arc at the centre. Mia moved quietly around the edge of group and caught sight of Felix, waiting patiently for all of them. As he came into view he spoke.

_"Alright, they're expecting a show down there,"_ He said gesturing to the crowd on the beach, _"let's try and make it worth the wait."_

_"It's us!"_ Ivan yelled comically, _"Of course we will!"_

_"Let's see if you can hold to that."_ He responded coolly, _"Sheba."_

Sheba nodded and produced a small jewel from her pocket. The group's eyes were all drawn to the small Psynergetic jewel. No one wanted to ask what was all on their minds. Thankfully that's what Garet was for.

_"How do we do this?"_ He asked sceptically.

_"I'm open to suggestion."_

_"I would believe we should do it the same we did together in the Lighthouse, only now we include our new decorations in that focus."_ Piers inserted, _"With any luck that will give us the power to hover and move. Or we could just end up destroying my ship, in which case I will hold you all accountable and demand compensation."_

Felix nodded, the group laughing, and waited for any possible objections from the group. No one seemed to disagree, _"Very well, you all know what to do. I'll take the wheel."_ He said heading toward it.

Everyone focused on pooling their Psynergy together and then letting it flow into the ship. Mia opened an eye from her concentration to see their Psynergetic rings had joined and were slowly enveloping the ship. She shifted her mind to the Hover Jade and felt a sudden lurch. The noise of the quick downpour from the ship as it slowly rose from the waters was drowned out by the loud hum of their joined Psynergy.

The Wings on either side of the ship suddenly responded and the ship flew out of the dock at tremendous speed, followed by the quickly lost cheers of the town below. Their flight was short lived, the sudden jolt had knocked them all back and they had lost all concentration. They landed with a crash far out from the dock in the seas. Mia knew that Felix would ensure they practice until they were able to fly the ship properly and without danger.

She smiled and moved to the edge of the boat as they began to sail toward impending doom with a bright cheer.

* * *

_**WOO! They finally made it out of Contigo! (Took their time huh? Jeez, these kids today)  
So, thoughts on the chapter? Personally I really like the first Mia/Felix section. You have no idea how many times I rewrote that section, but I'm real proud of it now, so that's all good. Oh and Piers working his maniacal plans. I did say stuff would happen and WILL continue to happen.  
**_

_**Does this chapter hold up to previous chapters though?  
**_

_**Well, keep an eye out for updates. I'm thoroughly reviewing the next few chapters, but trust me this addition to the scarce breed of Softshipping fics will be finished, have no fear.**_

_**And please review and tell me how I'm doing.  
I would love criticism and corrections no matter how big or small they are, if things seemed out of place, etc.  
**_

_**Your friend and writer,**_  
_**Droory**_


	9. Break

**_Well, here we are again. Thanks for stopping by with each update. Oh and many thanks if you've reviewed as well!  
SO! Thanks many times to  
_**_______Bonar_, Celestia's Paladin, crazy reader, ___Golden Sun Guy 17_, Noel the mermaid, and TrippyToastersAndABagOfChips .  
**YAY!  
Let's go!**  


* * *

Daylight. It was most definitely there. Felix's heart elated at the thin shaft of the sun's rays through the heavy smoke of this blasted rock. Typical that Jenna would have wanted to visit it because of pure jealousy, even going as far as to make Garet carry back a molten rock as souvenir of the place she had gained a new power. Still, they were nearly free, and after having spent from the very early morning until well past midday struggling for breath and trying to find whatever pockets of clean air there was, Felix, and surely everyone else, was glad for that.

He took off at a sprint, the others following eagerly behind them. He could taste the fresh air, feel the chill of the outside, it spurred him on faster. His pace quickened exponentially as the thought of clean air became even more prevalent in his mind, leaving the others behind. Spending eight hours amongst the lava-rivers, and smoke-filled, constricting passageways of Magma Rock was definitely not how he had envisioned the group spending the day.

He quite literally burst out into the outside world, inhaling the far cleaner air than in the tight passageways of that blasted volcano. He stopped, closing his eyes, and inhaled deeply through his nose. He was glad he was somewhat out of breath. That just meant there was more clean oxygen for him to take in. It was so thick and fresh that he felt he could almost bite or drink it. The others were not moments behind him, and each fought their way out of the cave, sucking up as much of the fume-free air as they possibly could.

The Mercury Adepts were first, leaning against whatever surfaces they could find, their clothes drenched in sweat. They did not like that place. At all. Mia had nearly thrown up several times due to the heat and complete separation from her element. Piers became much more verbal, reciting out curses in both his native and the common tongue. Piers summoned a quick rain shower, falling upon the two of them. They both opened their mouths, trying to catch whatever hydration they could.

The Jupiter Adepts came next. They too had a great dislike for the cave, it came with dense and heavy, polluted air. The very concept of that disgusted the Psynergy in their veins and by extension their mind-set. They had been rather quiet for them. They barely even battled, focusing more on trying to keep the air around the group as clean as they possibly could. As they escaped, they focused their power to suck in even more oxygen into the surrounding area while forcing out all other gases.

The other Valeans followed then with Kraden. Jenna first, just glad for the air, she had seemed to find the volcano rather homely. Though, Felix reasoned that was most likely due to her finally having an extra power. Kraden exited next, seeming to be struggling for air. Felix wished he would listen to him just once and stay out of harm's way. Everything they did was detrimental to his health.

Garet and Isaac followed soon after, hauling the ball of concentrated heat in a heat-resistant satchel that Kraden had on him for some reason. No one questioned the good fortune. They dropped it to the ground with a heavy clang, doubling over and breathing in as much as they could. This was not how Isaac had envisioned spending the first half of his birthday. Still, Felix had promised there would be time for celebration when they got back to the ship, which would be about another half an hour.

_"Yeah!"_ Ivan exclaimed, still sounding wheezy, _"Suck it, rock! We beat you!"_

The others all laughed, or rather they tried to as their chests seized up a little when they did. Felix even smiled, feeling so elated now that his lungs had pure clean air in them for the first time in hours.

_"Okay, everyone,"_ He started, raising his hand to the panting group, _"let's get back and clean up. Isaac has a party to get to."_

The others smiled. Isaac seemed very surprised by Felix's comment, and was glad for it. Maybe they were on their way to being best friends again.

So, they began their trek back to the ship, docked carefully in a river they had managed to land it in thanks to Kraden's guidance, and knowledge of geography. It was actually thanks to him they had managed to make it to Magma Rock so quickly, none of them favoured thinking of how long it would've taken had they sailed all the way to the southern tip of Gondowan. As result Felix had tasked him with finding a quicker way to access central Angara without needing to travel to Lalivero.

* * *

Mia relished the water of the shower, revelling in the refreshing splashes of Mercury against her body. She had washed herself fully four times now, spending a total of thirty minutes in the shower, yet still she could feel the coat of sweat sticking to her. It just felt wrong, no matter how much she tried, no matter what she used, this feeling just wouldn't wash off of her. She admitted that some of it was probably credited towards her situation with Felix, but it had never been so external.

She turned off the shower, rotating the stiff joints in her back that the volcano had caused. Felix had allowed her the luxury of washing first, so he was still waiting, sweat-covered, and grimy, in their room. She loved the Lemurian device, mentally noting to ask Piers how exactly it worked later. It was so different from baths, it just gave a sense that you had been washed fully, even if sometimes you doubted that as Mia was currently doing.

_"Felix?"_ She questioned the door.

_"Yes?"_ His calm voice returned in its deep baritone.

_"Sorry I took so long."_ She apologised as she began drying herself fully.

She heard something that may well have been a chuckle from the other side, _"That's alright. I'm sure you needed it more than I."_

Mia smiled to herself. Sweet, understanding, Felix… why couldn't he always be like this? She finished drying herself, pulling the towel around her as she opened the door to the bathroom. A blush hit her with such force that it threatened to knock her back into the mirror on the opposite wall. Felix was standing still, waiting with towel in hand, near completely bare. The sweat was still rolling along his body, despite the large amount of time that had passed, defining his muscular physique in a glistening shine.

Mia swallowed hard, trying to avert her eyes as she realised that the towel around her was hugging her curves rather tightly, _"S-sorry."_ She muttered again, moving past him, her eyes on the floor as he entered the bathroom. Wonderful, now she could feel the sweat returning to her. Why did he have to do that? It was almost like he was _trying_ to woo her. Didn't he realise how conflicted she was? After all, it wasn't as though she hadn't dreamt about them… no.

She shook her head, refusing to think of anything that would only bring more of a hot deluge along her. She dried herself once more in an effort to purify herself. Then realising that, before too long, Felix would most likely return from the bathroom in a steamy flare clad in nothing more than a towel, she quickly threw on a light shirt, sweats, and left the room.

She leaned back against the door, desperately wanting a drink of water. She suddenly felt so parched, so _hot_, even though she had long since escaped that near-hell of the rock. She figured that was as close as she was liable to come to hell in her lifetime, unless Mars Lighthouse proved to be even more hellish. Cupping her hands in front of her, she watched as her Psynergy slowly filled them like a bowl. Gladly downing the cool liquid, feeling the effects run along her insides, she sighed thankfully, but the sensation persisted.

There was some ruckus or another coming from upstairs, most likely prep for Isaac's party, but with Ivan, Garet and the new addition of Sheba anything could be happening. Mia slowly walked upstairs, hoping to Mercury that her face was not some flushed colour.

Jenna, Sheba, and Kraden were all gathered near the kitchen area, presumably baking a cake and various other foods for the upcoming celebrations. Then her eyebrows rose nearly clear off her head as she saw Garet, Piers, and Ivan, stacking a multitude of crates in the corner. From the clinking sound that was emanating from within, she made an educated guess that tonight would be quite the show.

Isaac though, was still nowhere to be seen.

Everyone turned and smiled to the healer as Piers announced her entrance with a warm greeting. She smiled back, wondering where in the world Piers had managed to acquire quite so much alcohol. The three men instantly recognised her look and made to explain.

_"Piers had a load on his ship from Lemuria. Most of it is wine, way old now, but there's some good stuff here. Got some whiskey, gin, various spirits, something called cider, mead, ale, and generally just plenty of nectar to sate the party girl in you."_ Garet commented, beaming maniacally as he went on to list the names of several more drinks within the crates.

_"Why do you have so much?"_ Mia questioned, looking on in shock at the huge amount of crates stacked in the corner.

_"Garet insisted we buy a good supply before we left Contigo. We snuck it onto the ship. There's still more down in the hold. And the rest was given to us when we became friends with a pirate."_ Piers explained, _"We did object, but neither he nor his grandmother would hear of it after we helped them."_

_"I see."_ Mia nodded, _"I do hope that you do not intend for all of this to be gone by the morning."_

_"Of course not!"_ Ivan piped up, _"Just by midnight. Garet and I can't wait to get you hammered."_ He laughed and continued as Mia frowned in disagreement, _"Think of it. It's the perfect premise for a romance. The shy healer finally gives in to her inner desires and wins the heart of the man she loves through her never-before-known drunken, wily, charms. Of course, it's a sad ending as you would no doubt end up heaving over one of us."_

Mia shuddered at the thought of her like that. That was not something she would ever allow happen. Ever. She shook her head and spoke up, _"Where's Isaac?"_

Jenna turned around, her front covered in various foodstuffs, _"Bed. We insisted the birthday-boy be well rested for his party."_

_"So, Jenna?"_ Ivan started, _"I assume you've got a 'special present' for Isaac… if you know what I mean."_

Half the occupants of the room sighed, while the other laughed.

_"Sadly, Ivan,"_ Sheba taunted, _"we all know what you mean. All the time. And before you ask, no, you will not be getting a special present for your birthday from anyone."_

_"Fair enough."_ He said, falling into a couch, _"My birthday was four months ago, I got one off of Mia."_

_"You're such a liar."_ Mia sighed, falling into the couch beside him, giving him a gentle knock in the arm.

A noise of some form came from the Jupiter Adept, though what exactly it tried to convey escaped Mia. She laughed with the others in the group, going to join in the preparation in the kitchen, allowing several sexist comments about women and kitchens to slide for now.

* * *

Isaac yawned wide as his eyelids fluttered open again. He hadn't been particularly tired but after Jenna hit him in the head and Sheba used some of her Sleep Psynergy on him he was out like a light. He was rather glad for it though, he hadn't rested well last night and he had spent all morning struggling for air. The rest had been rather nice, and the knowledge that there was a party later and for him no less.

He pulled himself up, thinking of all of the shenanigans that were likely to take place and most likely because of Garet and Ivan. He had seen Ivan drunk last year and that had not ended well, and if Sheba was anything like that, all comedic hell would break loose. Still that was not all he thought of.

Jenna would be there, not as though she couldn't he supposed, but it was the first _'social event'_ they had both attended since a seasonal celebration in Vale not too long before the eruption. That time they had nearly… Maybe tonight, he could… no. He had promised Felix that he would stay away from anything such as that until after Mars Lighthouse. Maybe he could blame it on the situation, just get a kiss or something.

_"Oh yeah, real smooth."_ He sighed to himself.

How in the hell did he plan on getting that to happen? A party was hardly the time to have one of _'those' _conversations, those ones that always began with _'We've been friends for a long time and I…'_ Besides, Jenna wasn't one for talking at a party, one was lucky if you could get her to stay still for a minute.

Maybe he should say something like: _'Hey, Jenna, birthday kiss?'_ or:_ 'Care to dance?' _and hope something happened? Yeah, that'd work. Slick as a fox. Get her drunk? Oh, smooth, real gentleman-like. Yeah, that's what women want. Plus, chances were she was planning on doing that anyway, if they had any supply of alcohol on this ship. Venus, what was wrong him?

He sighed again, burying his face in his hands. None of this would work, and if it did Felix would surely kick his ass again. He may have been able to hold his own, but he would still lose, not something he truly cared for.

_"Merry Birthday, Isaac!"_

He looked up at the squeaking voice to see his nine Djinn, presumably, smiling up at him, _"It's more traditional to say 'Happy Birthday'"_ He commented, laughing slightly at his companions_._

Quartz's head tilted to the side, _"Oh yes, very original there."_

Flint turned to stare at the other, _"I told you we should have just said 'Happy'."_

_"Just cause you were here first doesn't mean you're our spokesman!"_ Granite shot.

_"And you are!?"_ Sap cut across, _"Please, if you-"_

_"Guys?"_ Isaac asked over there argument, resulting in the other Djinn laughing at '_Sappy'_ for getting shut up, _"Any suggestions?"_

_"About…?" _Vine questioned.

_"Jenna, you clod!" _Bane retorted angrily, _"You'd swear you're deaf to his thoughts!"_

_"Can't blame him."_ Crystal intoned, _"Some of his thoughts are rather-"_

_"Hot! Have you seen Jenna in his imagination!? AWH!"_ Ground yelled out, forcing Isaac to note that he should not let his thoughts drift to more private things whenever he could.

_"You're a Djinni!" _Mold argued, _"What can you do!?"_

The two Djinni squared up to each other, bumping bellies as they stared each other down, _"Wanna take this outside?"_

_"No one's taking anything outside."_ Isaac ordered firmly, _"Behave. Now, advice."_

_"Pfft, you honestly expect us, a race of hyperactive beings of pure elemental energy to have useful advice for you? You're really getting desperate if that's the case." _Granite mocked,_ "When have we ever collectively given you useful advice? Flint is the only one who actually tries and we try to keep him quiet."_

_"Speaking of which, I think you should just talk to her."_ Flint started, _"It's the most logi-"_

_"Blah, blah, blah!"_ Bane cut across, _"Do you ever stop with the logic? Can't we just do stuff on impulse, so much more fun."_

_"You're giving me a headache."_ Isaac snapped, _"Not something I want when I intend to enjoy myself tonight. Return."_

_"Aww, man…"_ The Djinn sighed, swirling back into his essence where he could at least block out there voices.

Oh, what wonderful help those little beings were. Gods only know what may happen if so much as two were together out in the wild. One was often bad enough, but it was not provoked by another.

When did things ever get so difficult? When did Jenna become the object of such great affection logical words just did not make sense when they were spoken? What had changed? They sure as hell hadn't. They still had the exact same relationship from two years ago.

Maybe tonight wasn't exactly the best time to try something. She may feel obligated after all. Isaac sighed, collapsing into his bed, waiting for whatever call he may receive.

* * *

Felix relished the essence of Mercury from the ship's shower, and coupled with Mars' heat it was truly magnificent. The water ran all along his body, turning black as it washed away soot, ash, grime, smoke and many other foreign substances that Felix didn't care to think of. That rock had been, more or less, a death-trap. He reminded himself to ignore Jenna's next wish, besides given her temperament more power was not something that could end well for them. Still, maybe they would actually need this new power.

Felix didn't quite understand it himself, after all every Mars Adept can control and redirect flames, so what was the point in delving into the depths of that volcano? Were there certain flames out there that a normal Mars Adept could not control or stop? He decided not to think about it.

Everyone was in high-spirits today. That wasn't odd, but the feeling was greater than usual. There would be no time for rest or celebration until after the Beacon, and Felix did not see the aftermath of it to be something that the others would celebrate. The gods wanted him dead after all. Master Hama's prediction told him that, she had said that a storm would chase them across the seas to the north, and an emissary of great power would always watch them, try to stop them.

The storm was coming soon, Felix had seen it far to the west before they boarded, still gathering over Jupiter Lighthouse. It had been a month already, and its proportions were legendary. From what Felix could see it stretched over the entire width of Atteka, and would no doubt move at a speed worthy of Jupiter.

Then there was the emissary, the great power, waiting for them. It didn't matter to Felix what this power was, nothing would stop him. It could do what it wished to him when the Beacon was lit, but nothing before that.

Exhaling a long breath of relief, Felix stopped the flow of water feeling thoroughly cleansed. Sometimes he envied Mia and Piers for being able to control the waters and its purity, they could wash whenever they wished. On the flip side though, Felix didn't much mind filth, as long as it was earthly filth alone, dust, soil, clay, maybe mud, that didn't bother him at all. Water caused mud. Mercury…

Mia…

She hadn't tried anything more since Contigo. Perhaps she had been telling the truth after all. Perhaps she simply kissed him to show that she cared. Admittedly it was not the smartest move, but it was damn effective, seeing as Felix could not forget that most delicate touch of her lips, the scent of her hair as it fell over him during and the euphoric feeling of… no, that didn't matter.

Of course, they talked every night since she slept in the same room, or rather, he talked and she listened and asked. She didn't like to talk about herself much… something they had in common then. She always tried to probe, to discover, to _help_… Felix did not want that. He understood what she wanted, he even understood why, but he just could not do that to her. Everything he had experienced, everything he had done, seen, heard, it would just pollute her, _corrupt_ her. Angels should never be corrupted.

He had let slip some things, sometimes she managed to lead him to a trance of memory where he would just get lost in his past. It felt… good though, right, so maybe it wasn't such a terrible thing. Still, his darker, more horrible, secrets were his. Lucky then, that she wasn't a Jupiter Adept, unlike Piers he could not hide his secrets by thinking in Lemurian. He did thoroughly enjoy Mia's company though. He didn't dislike being around her, or try to find some way to escape conversations, even if he didn't wish to discuss the topic.

After he had fully dried himself and thrown on his tunic, with sword always at the belt, Felix strode toward the common room where all the preparations were in full swing.

It seemed that the boys had finally managed to carry, and fit amazingly, all of the drink into the room, serving to reduce the space by half. It was arranged though, as a sort of stage, Ivan and Piers were fiddling with some instruments that they both had laying around: a lute, a harp, flutes, drums, a device Piers called a violin, and a harmonica. Garet had already cracked open one of the large boxes and was sitting watching the _'kitchen'_ where the girls and Kraden were gathered.

Not long after Felix had entered did Jenna make her dislike for kitchen duty very, very, vocal and abandoned the attempt altogether so as to join Garet at the table, leaving Sheba, Mia, and Kraden to do the work. That was probably for the best as well, Jenna was not the best cook in the world, Garet had more skill with it than she.

Felix, hoping to dodge any of this work, seeing as Jenna and Garet had just decided to string up decorations together, made a beeline for the door out to deck.

_"Felix!"_ His sister shrieked out, _"Where're you goin'!?"_

He turned calmly, taking time to wipe the frown from his face first, _"To pilot the ship, Jenna. Too many cooks and all that, surely you understand."_

_"We're in a river, man."_ Garet said as he clambered up over a box carrying a long coloured ribbon behind him, _"You pilot us, we die. You need us to fly."_

_"I'd prefer that didn't happen, so do channel your Psynergy when I give the signal."_ He said, quickly turning and retreating outside. He took a deep breath of the ocean air, so fresh compared to the smoke and fumes that still dwelled within him from Magma Rock. Slowly, enjoying the peace of the day, Felix made his way to the tiller, turning the anchor's winch with his Psynergy.

* * *

Mia, who had watched Felix from the moment he had entered, worried for him. She always did. It was natural after all, she worried for everyone. Right now though, Felix should be at least somewhat sociable, after all, the party was in no less than half an hour. The food was pretty much finished, save for some final touches that she was confident Sheba and Kraden could handle without her, she excused herself so as to find out what was wrong with the leader. Piers watched from the corner of his eye with a small smirk as Mia chased after Felix.

Inhaling deeply as she stood out onto deck, breathing in the salty-fresh air, the scents of fish strong where they were now, Mia took a moment just to enjoy this. It wasn't often they could have this, but the region was rather devoid of monsters due to Magma Rock, all of them dwelling within the volcano, so she enjoyed it as abundantly as possible.

She then turned with a smile, finding Felix's back to her as he began guiding the ship away from its landing, _"You know, there aren't many monsters around here."_ She started simply, _"Don't you think it would be better if Isaac could enjoy his party without any monster trying to crash it."_

_"Mia."_ Felix acknowledged first, always formal, _"We don't know how much time we have left to light the Beacon. I'd prefer not to risk it."_

_"It's only one night, Felix."_ She replied, walking to his side and staring out at the horizon, they hadn't navigated out of their position yet, _"We could leave first thing in the morning to make up for it, what do you say?"_

_"I…"_

_"C'mon. For all of us. You may or may not be a party person, and I know I'm not really, but I do plan on enjoying myself tonight with everyone else. I say you should too."_

_"Okay, Mia… but I'm not going back in there while Jenna and Garet are decorating."_ He said as he released the tiller and the clunk of the anchor's crank banged out.

_"That's fine, we can stay out here for now. They'll be finished in a few minutes anyway, there's not much of the room left to decorate."_

_"There's not much of the room left."_ Felix commented as he took a seat on one of the benches by the railing.

Mia giggled slightly, as true as that was, a joke from Felix was rare. She moved to take a seat beside him, both staring out at the horizon to the north, to the end, to Mars Lighthouse, to Prox, to that town that changed Felix. She wondered what it was like, what it could possibly have done to change Felix into the person he was now.

_"So…"_ She began awkwardly, the silence having gone on for some time now, _"My dance card's not filled up yet, care to help with that?" _What in the heavens was she doing? This was… this was ridiculous! Asking him to dance before the party had even begun!? Oh, what was she doing?

Felix seemed to be asking those very questions as he turned to her, always with that odd expression. Mia tried her best to hold her gaze, not swallow, and if the gods were kind they would not let the red show in the cheeks she suddenly felt were ablaze.

_"Maybe just the one… I don't know how to, not something they teach in Prox."_ Felix answered honestly, _"And I never really cared to learn before I had to in Vale, which of course I missed."_

Mia frowned, surprised by the frankness of that answer, _"Oh, well, don't worry about that. You're a fast learner after all, I'm sure you'll pick it up."_

Could this have been any more awkward? Really? That had to have been the worst question to ask. They fell into silence again, neither of them being great conversation starters, especially not with the previous question to follow up on. Thankfully, the silence did not last too long.

Sheba's head popped around the corner, _"Sorry to interrupt you love-birds,"_ She played, _"but, c'mon, everyone's gotta be dressed all fancy before we all burst into Isaac's room. Well, hop to it!"_

Mia sighed gratefully, glad something had broken the silence and spurred them into some action. She turned to Felix as he had not moved at all, _"Aren't you coming?"_ She probed.

_"I'll wait until you are changed, Mia."_ He said simply, still staring out to the northern horizon line.

Mia frowned, grabbing his arm and hoisting him from the bench, _"C'mon, I'll get changed in the bathroom. We can't delay the party anymore."_

She always felt rather strange, strong even, when she gave orders to Felix. He wasn't one to really object to her too much, well not when it was her little orders like the previous anyway.

She ran into the bathroom after grabbing her simple white dress from a drawer. It wasn't anything special, just something she had purchased in Tolbi during the Colosso tournament. It hadn't been very expensive and the others all agreed she deserved something ladylike and had even purchased it for her. It was just plain white, nothing extravagant, but it did have some light blue patterns around its edges. It stretched to her knees, and had enough fabric to cover her shoulders as well. If nothing else, the dress was currently as modest as its wearer.

As she left, she found Felix sitting on his bed, still wearing exactly what he had been. She eyed him curiously, trying to decipher what the problem was exactly. Then it clicked, he did not have a change to anything fancier to wear. Once again, though, Sheba was a saviour.

_"Jeez, shoulda guessed!"_ She announced bursting into the room. She was wearing a violet knee-length dress that exposed her back and some of her midriff. She had matching violet elbow length, fingerless gloves that greatly complimented the already stunning look, _"You're lucky you have me around! I expect to be repayed! Five hundred coins with interest!"_ She said tossing a bag at him, and then her eyes fell on Mia, _"Wow, Mia, you look great."_

_"Thanks."_ She said, following the girl out so Felix could change, _"You too."_

Felix emerged into the expectant hallway five minutes later. Sheba had acquired a slate grey dress tunic. For once Felix was wearing something that did not have a belt or pouches for supplies or weapons, gloves or grimy travelling boots. Underneath, he wore a dark green shirt, it wasn't necessarily the most pleasing pallet mix, but somehow he made it work. He actually looked… well, cleanly dressed.

* * *

Isaac beamed fully as he was attacked and dragged upstairs. It had been quite an ordeal, almost sure he had been given some bruises as Piers, Garet, and Ivan, burst in, pulled him off the bed and hauled him into the air, cheering gaily as the Venus Adept was tossed between them on their way to the common room.

There, he was assaulted by congratulations and cheers, along with some confetti that Ivan had apparently made in his spare time. As he was placed on the ground he was crushed at the centre of a group hug that Jenna and Garet initiated together. Everyone, even Felix, joined in, doing their best to smother the reason for the party.

When at last he was released, he was quickly ushered to the head of a table. When there, Kraden produced a large cake from behind one of the kitchen's counters and brought it to the centre of the table, cutting the first slice for Isaac. Jenna quickly stole it from the scholar and brought it to Isaac personally.

_"Happy birthday, Isaac!"_ She yelled in his ear, the others joining in, deafening him for the remainder of the evening, before she placed the cake in front of him and planted a kiss onto his cheek.

The _'birthday dinner'_ then followed, Isaac's not being allowed to have his cake and eat it too. Various meats and vegetables were brought to the table by Kraden, Piers, and Felix. Drinks of every choice were of course readily available. Everyone inhaled the food as quickly as possible, trading stories of the Venus Adept, be it from Vale, which even Felix told of, or of the quest from after Vale. It should be noted that the main contributors were Garet and Ivan.

_"So, this once, _"Ivan started his tale, still laughing from the one Jenna had just told which involved Isaac inventing new things to do with Psynergy, until he eventually trapped himself in a self-made cave for an entire day, _"we were walking along, as you do when you're on a quest. We get to this town and from over yonder, Isaac notices a Djinn standing up on a cliff, assessing that it was beyond our reach. Then he spies a quite attractive woman filling a jar with water and carrying it on her head back to a point below the cliff."_

Isaac hid behind his hand, quite vividly remembering this story. Garet and Mia were already chuckling slightly, the others had all leaned in curiously.

_"So, Isaac, being the genius and quick adapter to strange situations tells us, _'Hey, if I can get her to spill water in the right places we can get to that Djinn!'. _Understandably, we were rather confused seeing as Mia could have done produced the water and freeze it for us, or he could have just made a platform for us, but before we could voice our argument he had already run off to bother this poor woman."_

The others all smirked, completely disbelieving this particular tale.

_"Indeed, quite baffling!"_ Ivan agreed heartily, _"But that's not the end. Seeing as we still had brains we decided to retrieve the Djinn without telling Isaac, and then purchase rooms for ourselves. Half an hour later, Isaac returned with a bright red handprint on his cheek. Needless to say, sexual harassment is never a good idea."_

The group erupted into disbelieving laughter, Isaac sighed, _"You make it sound worse than it was, and I didn't have a handprint, my cheek was just… redder than usual."_

_"He makes it sound _exactly_ like it was, Isaac."_ Mia voiced, making the story true in everyone's eyes.

_"That wasn't even one of the bad times though!"_ Garet laughed, _"Pretty bad, but not the worst. Remember the 'Djinni in a tree' incident?"_

Ivan burst out laughing, Mia immediately flushed a deep red, Isaac raised his eyebrow.

_"There was a Djinni in a tree, and-"_

_"Nooo! Oh, we had not seen this coming!" _The young Sheba exclaimed, slightly intoxicated after a mug or two of ale.

_"Yes, quite the shock, I'm sure. Anyway, Isaac decided to try and use his Psynergy to get the Djinni down, using the Catch Beads. He reached this idea, not realising that Mia had been climbing the tree in an attempt to shake the branch the Djinni was on. So, Isaac's Psynergy did not so much catch the Djinni… it actually hoisted Mia into the air, giving all the locals of the town we were in quite the show for a full twenty seconds before Isaac finally managed to release the shy healer." _Garet winked at the healer, _"Needless to say, the image is stored up here for prosperity."_

_"Not to mention the lonely nights you're doomed to for the rest of your life, Garet."_ Jenna taunted.

_"Well, that too."_

_"That wasn't me!"_ Isaac piped up, Mia nodding along in agreement, _"You had taken the beads from me, remember?"_

Garet paused for a moment, reflecting on this, as Ivan pointed and laughed at the fool.

_"I was wondering why you brought that up, man you're stupid!"_ Ivan announced as the group laughed.

Garet went slightly red, grinning despite the embarrassment he had brought on himself. It wasn't the first time he had done confused someone else with something he did. Although, he did admit to himself that he had caused that _'accident'_ completely on purpose, when he remembered it had been him of course. Jenna seemed to be laughing the most, at everything, she was in brighter spirits today. Although, she had gained a power that Garet had been denied, so she was no doubt feeling smug and satisfied with herself.

_"Back to Isaac,"_ She smirked, nudging the man in the arm, _"remember the catapult log?"_

Even Felix let out a quick, and audible, laugh with Garet at the mention of this. Isaac smirked to himself, knowing that this story was not that embarrassing for just him.

_"The four of us gathered up these logs, Isaac and Felix using the Psynergy to catapult stuff across Vale. Now we didn't quite know where exactly the items we fired off landed, and we didn't care. Eventually, the time came when Isaac decided he wanted to be fired, Garet joining in on this idea. So, we fired them across Vale."_

Garet and Isaac were chuckling to each other, vividly remembering the outcome of that idea.

_"Felix then tells me he knows where everything is landing. On the mayor of Vale's house, Garet's house. So, he begins to quickly disassemble our wonderful creation and we pretend we know absolutely nothing of it. We casually stroll to the mayor's house, to find windows broken and Isaac and Garet sized holes in the roof. Apparently the two came through as Garet's sister was in the process of changing, so I'll leave it to you to imagine how that ends, as Felix and I were never told. However, we didn't see them publicly for another two months."_

Ivan smirked, putting up his hand, _"I know what happened. By the by, Garet, your sister's hot. Anyway,"_ He pressed on, no one noticing Sheba's little expression of jealousy, _"screams were had, those two were beaten by her, embarrassingly enough, forced to pay for damages, forced to work on repairs, and put in solitary for those two months."_

Everyone chuckled and laughed, including the two perpetrators. Neither of them really cared, after all that brief moment of flying had been exhilarating. They could at least say they somewhat understood how Jupiter Adepts liked to feel.

The stories continued as all the food slowly disappeared, most of it being lost to Garet. Then more and more drink mysteriously appeared on the table and just as quickly disappeared.

* * *

Mia smiled to the room as the party progressed. Dinner was long finished now and the festivities had kicked into full, drunken swing. Ivan and Sheba were completely lost to whatever they had ingested, and continued to do so as well. Although, in Ivan's favour he was still quite the musician despite his current state, even able to keep up and know any tune that was suggested or played. Piers may have had some part in that though, Mia conceded. Kraden had also revealed that he was a rather talented musician.

Sheba was dancing with Garet, but she used the term dancing loosely. They were more… flailing about than dancing, didn't seem to know what they did. They were thoroughly enjoying themselves though, even if they were being upstaged by Isaac and Jenna who were actually dancing. Their movements were fluid and graceful, an extension of each other as they twirled and spun about each other. Jenna's crimson dress flew and swished as Isaac pulled her around, the two of them laughing all the while. Of course, they may have tripped up once or twice, they had been indulging in the various poisons Garet and Piers had dug up after all.

She made her way over to Felix, who was simply… well he wasn't smiling… but he looked happier than he usually was, like he was enjoying himself more, _"I'm sure they're all glad you let them do this."_ Mia said over the music Ivan, Piers, and Kraden played as she sidled up next to him.

_"I'm sure they won't recall a single detail after tonight."_ He replied, a small smirk present.

Mia laughed a little, nodding along with this probable truth. She took a sip from her glass of water, having previously just tried to dance with Garet. That had been exhausting and dehydrating. She could still feel sweat rolling down her, and to think of how thoroughly she had washed herself earlier just to be rid of the very same.

_"I do hope that's not what you meant by dancing with you."_ Felix said, tipping his glass to Garet and Sheba, _"It seems far too… sporadic for my tastes."_

_"Trust me, never. If you ever see me going to dance with Garet again, stop me, please."_ Mia laughed, finishing her glass before replenishing it with her Psynergy, _"I meant more along the lines of Isaac and your sister."_

_"Seems complicated." _Felix grumbled, glaring slightly at the pair, _"Ordered, but complicated."_

_"It can be…"_ Mia agreed, _"but, it's all memory and timing, action and reaction. Friendly battle almost. Sounds like your kind of thing. They can do it, and they're slightly… off. Why don't you watch them, see if you can't memorise it."_

_"You make it sound fun."_ Felix smirked, finishing whatever was in his glass and fixing his eyes on the dancing couple.

Mia sighed slightly. She made it sound fun… by comparing it to battle? What was wrong with Felix? That may not have been the best worded question, but she couldn't quite think. After all, who enjoys battle? She understood the adrenaline rush and the thrill, but to actually enjoy it? She just couldn't understand that. But, that was Felix now… so…

_"Did you really never learn how to dance?"_ Mia asked, breaking the loud silence.

_"Kay, Garet's sister, tried to teach me at a celebration once. I was one of the few who were around her age, but I was never really one for parties, so that didn't go well."_ Felix answered, _"One of the kinder women of Prox tried as well, as did my parents, but that was quickly stopped."_

_"Well, maybe one of the best ways is to learn by doing,"_ She said quickly, finishing her refreshed glass and pulling a reluctant Felix onto the dance floor, _"c'mon!"_

Oddly enough, although she blamed Piers, the music suddenly changed to much slower, tenderer, notes. Wonderful, typical of Piers to change it all as Mia and Felix chose to dance together. It may have made it easier to dance seeing as it was slower, but that also made it more embarrassing. Slow dances were usually for couples, people who like each didn't like her.

And… and she didn't like Felix! No-no-no, just wanted to help. Gods, damn it, she'd have to remember to get Piers for this.

_"O-okay,"_ She swallowed, as Jenna and Isaac started their dance and Garet and Sheba left for more intoxicating beverages, and took Felix's hands, _"you put this hand here,"_ She said, placing his right hand on her hip, trying to control her embarrassment, _"and you hold my hand. Then we just kind of… sway."_

Felix nodded, trying to be gentle. He was nervous, odd as it was for him, he had never danced with a woman before, and most certainly not with a woman like Mia. No… no. He forced certain ideas away from his mind, refusing, absolutely refusing, to even entertain them.

Mia rested her head against Felix's chest, afraid to look him in the eyes right now. His heartbeat was rather erratic for who owned it, which meant his thoughts were in areas they didn't often drift to: thoughts of the romantic. This made her heart quicken in its pace, if it were possible, noticeably. She was getting through to him in some way at least. Maybe she was beginning to break through his shell.

Felix stiffened considerably as Mia's head rested against his chest. He understood that this was a slow dance, a dance of affection or something. This was supposed to be a dance for couples, those with romantic inclinations toward each other. Jenna had just been doing the same with Isaac, though now she was looking him right in the eye. Mia wasn't looking him in the eye, worse, she was pressed closer to him to avoid doing just that. But, just because this kind of position was the norm for these dances didn't make it any easier.

Mia, feeling this awkwardness had gone on more than long enough, motioned for Piers to move on to something faster, something that didn't express the things a slow dance would. Piers, laughing at Mia's suggestion, seemed to reluctantly agree. The song couldn't just suddenly explode into notes of passion and movement, though. This song had to fade out naturally and end properly, otherwise it would be obvious. Piers seemed to delight in this. The ending notes dragged out, ending in a very long and low tone of love.

Mia moved herself out of Felix's chest as the song ended. Both of them held their position though. Mia swallowed, meeting the eyes that always told her so much about the man. She smiled to him a little, knowing it was okay to be embarrassed when she saw a gentle red hue on even his cheeks. She did not know though, that all eyes were on the two of them at the centre of the dance floor, dead-silent, just staring into the other's eyes. Nothing was happening… but everyone was waiting for it to happen between the two.

The music exploded back into existence, the couple realising all too late how long it had been silent. Felix took the initiative. Mia was suddenly caught by surprise as Felix spun her around and caught her again. Had he been lying, did he know how to dance? That previous move, and the consecutive ones, seemed to suggest just that. Mia looked up thoroughly surprised, but still keeping up to pace with him. His eyes were darted between her and Isaac and Jenna, who were just a few steps ahead of them. He may have just been copying them, but Mia didn't really care. This was… great! She felt alive.

Felix's eyes bounced back and forth from Isaac to Mia, his body reflected what he was doing, he had to memorise. He didn't know why, he never really cared for dancing, but there was something about it. Maybe it was the motion, the timing, the fluidity of it all, that suddenly attracted him to it. Though, there was that one quickly silenced thought that always returned: maybe it was because he was with Mia, maybe he wanted to impress her, maybe he just wanted to make her happy.

* * *

Jenna beamed wide, her vision somewhat blurry now. To her recollection dinner had ended… three, four, hours ago… maybe. Ah, what did it matter? She was having fun! Everyone was! Even Felix, dancing with Mia as well, oh the shock. That little moment of them had to be the sweetest and most embarrassing thing Felix had done in years, well apart from the time he was showering and Sheba walked in on him because he hadn't locked or even closed his door. But this was different! She could have much more fun with _this_! Wait… when had he learned to dance? Pfft, who cared?

Ah, forget him, tonight wasn't about him! It was ISAAC! That's right! He was the star attraction, one moment in his arms, the next spinning around him depending on whatever tune the others belted out. Garet had got back up dancing with Sheba, tripping over himself as always. He was never a good dancer. That poor girl, she should have known. Jenna thought she told her.

Yeah, Jenna was a little drunk, but most of them were! So, who cared? She still knew what she was doing, she could still think straight, unlike Garet or Little-Miss-Mind-Read who were very far beyond thought. So, yeah, Jenna was a little tipsy, but she was dancing, so it was okay. Isaac looked like he was the same way, he had been drinking too. The only ones who hadn't were Mia and Felix. Piers was still drinking his wine, knocking it away like it was air. Gods, he could hold his drink. Unlike Sheba who had just run to heave into an empty crate.

The song faded out, the music dying away, leaving the air feeling much heavier. Not something the others particularly fancied. The group all applauded the two musicians, impressed that they could play even when drunk.

_"Thank you, thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Don't forget to tip your waitresses."_ Ivan hiccupped, _"We'll be here all night, but right now, before sense is lost I feel it's time for the chair!"_

The others all questioned him.

_"Thehellsthechair!?"_ Garet bellowed out, all of his words slurred into some incomprehensible drivel.

_"It's where we sit that handsome fellow,"_ Ivan indicated Isaac, somehow understanding the drunkard, _"in a chair! Then we all wish him a happy birthday in our special way by giving him a kiss for good luck!"_

_"Gay!"_ Garet yelled again, though Jenna quickly silenced his outburst.

A chair was quickly thrown to the centre of the room by Sheba, and Isaac was forcibly shoved into it. Ivan was first up, jumping up into his lap, _"Happy birthday, man!"_ He exclaimed, head-butting him before kissing him on the cheek. Isaac seemed slightly disturbed by it.

Pier followed suit, wishing him a happy birthday and kissing his cheek. Felix surprisingly went along, being the third person to kiss Isaac's cheek. Both Mia and Sheba went up together, giving him an overly exaggerated kiss on either cheek. Kraden was next, being very quick about it before retreating back to the stage. Garet followed next, and despite his prior objection kissed Isaac's cheeks and forehead multiple times.

Then Jenna bounded up, knocking the chair over and attacking Isaac's mouth with hers. When everyone realised what happened, a cheer rang out from all but Felix, who quickly turned away.

On the floor, Jenna admitted that this may not have been the smartest manoeuvre as she swore that was Isaac's elbow digging into her ribs. She didn't really care though. She was kissing Isaac! What was she doing!? But… wait…! He was kissing her back! That wasn't imagination! Oh she didn't care if it was the drink, or the moment or if it was even true, but it was happening! All her friends had just seen her first kiss! What a story!

She pulled away from him, both of them blushing madly her realising only know that she had been straddling him, smiling down at his wide beam, _"Happy Birthday."_ She said softly.

_"On that note!"_ Ivan said, slapping Sheba's ass, which resulted in several more notes, but not of the festive or joyous mood, _"Let's get back to it!"_

Dances continued in their mad swing of vibrant movement and colour. Drink was lost and then reproduced along with food by some. And the eight Adepts who had the entire fate of the world on their shoulders threw away all care and enjoyed themselves.

And the party went on.

* * *

_**Well... thanks for stopping by and reading through the whole chapter.  
I hope you enjoyed it. All filled with shippy-goodness as it was.  
REVIEW!  
And tell me what you thought, like/dislike, etc. I can take it, I'm a badass like that.**_

_**Well, until next time guys and gals,**_  
_**Your friend and writer,**_  
_**Droory**_


	10. Aftermath

_**Many thanks to all who read this story!  
Special thanks to  
**_Bonar, Celestia's Paladin, crazy reader, Golden Sun Guy 17, Noel the mermaid_, _TrippyToastersAndABagOfChips _, **and our new reviewer:**_ templeofdecay_ **for reviewing!**_  
_**Onwards!  
Oh, and there's some explicit language in this chapter  
**_

* * *

Oh, gods, the pain: Jenna's first thought as she awoke the next morning. Glancing up from… wherever she was, she tried to make out anything through the haze which was her vision. It eventually, eventually being a very long time for the girl suffering from a hangover that threatened to split her head in two, registered that she was lying in her bed. She had absolutely no memory of even entertaining the idea of going to bed last night, so she reasoned that someone must have carried her there.

Sitting up very, _very_, slowly so as not to anger the beast she had invited into her head, Jenna tried her best to look around the room. Sheba was asleep in her bed, but, judging from the bucket by its side and the ghastly smell that accompanied it, the poor girl had not managed to acquire a good night's sleep. After seeing the bare morning light through the porthole of their room, Jenna decided that it was not worth the effort, nor the pain, to try and get up, so she lay back down, trying to piece together the shattered remnants of the night her mind had.

She did not push herself though, at least not a second time, because that hurt greatly, the very thought of thinking brought pain, so instead she just let the memories return in whatever order they wanted and she tried to fit them into a probable timeframe for the night.

There had been drink, oh she definitely remembered that alright. There were parts of her that greatly regretted that fact, but others that were so glad for it, Jenna didn't know where she stood with her opinion. It was unfair after all to try and judge when suffering from the severe aftermath of what may have been a good thing. It would take time to see. Of course, there was also dancing, music, food, laughter, unfortunate sickness for some, all the generalities usually associated with typical parties.

Isaac… that's right, she had danced with him nearly the entire night. The last dance she remembered was… another slow dance, maybe? Yeah, that sounded right, the first she had been very awake for, but that one she had been very tired. Maybe she had fallen asleep in Isaac's arms. She had danced all night with him, being pulled close to him, and spun around with him in love and passion. She didn't really care if Isaac didn't think of her that way, if maybe she was only his childhood friend, but last night she had felt the love in her heart swell.

Wait, the… oh gods… Ivan and his stupid-ass _'chair'_… She… She hadn't actually _pounced_ on Isaac, had she? She didn't kiss him full on in clear sight of all her friends and, worst of all, her brother, had she? Oh no, no-no-no-no-no… What had she done? She had kissed him, ruined their delicate friendship forever! She had always felt their friendship teetered dangerously on that point of great friends and romantic relationships… if Isaac didn't want to cross that point, everything was ruined.

Maybe she could blame it on the drink or the party, maybe she could say it was just a present, find some way to make it so that it never happened or that it didn't mean anything.

Two blazing knives stabbed right into her mind to accompany the two knocks that someone was cruel enough to rap against the door. Groaning in pain, Jenna dragged herself to the door as quickly as possible so that she would not have to suffer anymore. She loathed Sheba who seemed entirely oblivious to any noise. Seriously, her own footsteps hurt to hear… Wait, she was still in her red dress, well, that made sense. If she had been in anything else there would have been hell to pay for whoever was stupid enough to undress her.

Pulling open the door, she came face to stone-face with Felix.

_"I need to talk with you."_ Her brother stated immediately.

Jenna nodded, though she wanted to change or go back to bed to nurse her head, and reluctantly followed him topside. In the common room the crates of drink had gained a new decoration: Garet. The lug was passed out on top of the crates, his limbs draping down onto others. Jenna smiled inwardly, laughing at the man, as Felix guided her outside and to the nose of the ship.

_"Last night."_ He started astutely, but Jenna cut him off.

_"I'm gonna go ahead and guess this is because I kissed Isaac last night, right?"_ She asked, knowing the answer already.

Felix breathed deeply through his nose, _"Yes."_

Jenna interrupted him, before he dared continue whatever argument, _"Before you say anything, I was drunk and it was one kiss on his _birthday_. It didn't mean anything." _She stated, trying to believe the words herself.

_"I hope you understand that I'm not allowing it."_

That made Jenna angry, she wasn't sure why, but it just didn't sit well with her, _"You're not allowing it? Sorry, Felix, but I don't give a damn what you allow or don't. It's my life and I'll do what I want. You don't get to tell me what to do. Not anymore."_

Felix was clearly taken aback by that outburst, but his form did not falter, _"I'm only trying to care for you as your brother."_

_"No you're not. You just don't like the idea of Isaac and I together, you never have. Besides, what right do you have to say anything after that thing between you and Mia last night?"_ Jenna didn't like it when her brother got like this, and she knew how to shake him, how to argue back effectively, _"You're such a hypocrite. And don't try playing that brother angle either. You're not my brother anymore. You're _our_ leader. That's it."_ Jenna still loved her brother, but he wasn't a brother in the sense that he thought, _"How many times since you came back have you asked me about those years I was left alone in Vale? None. That's how much you _'care'_ about me, _'brother'_."_

_"I never asked because I cared. I didn't want to bring back any bad memories. I thought you might not have wanted to remember or talk about it."_ Felix replied.

_"No, I wouldn't have, but when you came back I remembered everything anyway. I would have liked if you had so much as asked me! Even if I didn't want to talk about it!"_ She blurted out in response, _"And, you know what, we're gonna talk about it now."_

_"Jenna…" _Felix tried, but his sister pressed on.

_"After I lost you, mom, and dad, I just didn't know what to do! For days I just wandered around Vale, desperately hoping that I might see any of you coming back. I had no idea what to do. Everyone in Vale just looked at me with pity, believing it would have been better if I had died too. I felt so helpless, and scared, and alone. I…"_ Jenna choked on the words and the memory of her greatest weakness, _"I tried to kill myself. I tried to fucking _kill_ myself, Felix! All so I could be with all of _you_ again! And _you never _even _asked_ how I felt! Am I getting through that thick-ass skull of yours!? That's how much your goddamned _'care' _is worth to me! Isaac was the one who saved me. Isaac has _always_ been there for me, _always_, even when you were still around! He is _always_ the one who has cared for me! So you have no right to say anything remotely brotherly to me anymore or deny Isaac and me anything! Try and earn that back first, or just go to hell."_

Jenna made to leave, but Felix placed a hand on her shoulder in the beginning of an attempt to be caring. Jenna spun around, driving her open hand into Felix's face. During the resounding smack that echoed through the cold morning air Jenna stormed away, angrily wiping away the tears, and Felix just turned to the water beneath them, sighing deeply.

Neither of them realised that the entire emotional exchange had been overheard.

* * *

Mia yawned wide, fully enjoying the memories of last night. Her eyes slowly fluttered open, allowing the glorious light of a new day to shine onto her bright sapphires, and she smiled, wiping the tiredness from them. She didn't get up, she didn't have any intention to leave the wonderful comfort of her bed. Felix didn't expect anyone up early, not after how wild last night had been, and though neither he nor she had taken to it with as much heart as the others, she knew they would need rest as well. She could enjoy the amazing comfort the Lemurian ship's bed offered until the waking sounds of the others become audibly obvious.

She turned her eyes over to Felix's side of the room, not sure of what to expect. Usually, if she woke early enough, she may find him reading, or meditating, but more often than not he was up and ready to go, to face the dangers every day brought. More often than not she did not see him in the morning, when they could have chances to talk in private without interruptions from the others. After last night, Mia wondered if even she may be awake before him, hoping to see him sleeping, she never did see him sleep. But he was up and gone already.

This surprised her a little, only a little because this was the norm, last night had been rather tiring for all of them, after all. Then again, everything was tiring for their poor leader. Every day was just as tiring as those nights. Every day he had to face so much, it was all on him, and they rarely ever thanked him for everything he did, for helping them survive day after day. Truth was that, if not for Felix, a lot of them would have suffered a lot more, it was thanks to his decisions and his judgement that they had gotten through everything so well, meshed together as a team so perfectly. Mia thought he deserved a lie in just this once, maybe she could convince him to take a rest later.

After all, she thought, fully smiling to herself, she had danced him ragged last night.

After spending no time to change from her nightclothes and just moving out of her room, she began walking to the common room. Mia was slightly freaked out by the absolute silence on the ship. Usually something could always be heard. The Jupiter Adepts laughing together, the sounds often found their way to every corner of the ship, or Jenna scolding someone, usually Isaac or Garet, for the most miniscule of things. Then again, the silence was nice too. Though she swore she may have heard some faint sounds coming from Jenna and Sheba's room, but dismissed it when she remembered just how sick Sheba had been by the time it was called for the party to end. She and Piers had to deal with most of it.

Climbing into the common room, she grimaced at the state it had been left in. Chairs were toppled, bottles and glasses littered the floor, various liquids spilled from several containers into the carpets and the wood, and of course, Garet was unconscious on the crates as everyone had left him last night. She smiled to the man, moving to his side and taking a precarious seat on the edge of the boxes. Placing her delicate hand on his forehead she began working Plys through him so as to ease the pain of the aftermath of all he had consumed last night.

She was very surprised when the man's eyes cracked open slightly. He grinned a little to her, but he didn't move from what had to be an uncomfortable position. She made to question him, but he brought his finger to his mouth, telling her to be quiet.

_"Felix and Jenna just had a pretty serious argument."_ He whispered, his eyes telling the truth of just how serious, _"Can't make it seem like I overheard, Jenna went back downstairs. Felix is still out there. If he comes back in pretend I'm still out and you don't know anything."_

Mia nodded, _"What was it about?"_ She asked, wondering what they would have to argue about after last night. Then it clicked. Isaac and that kiss.

Garet's expression let slip more than this though, _"Not my place to tell. Leave me here, I'll get up when need be."_ He whispered, giving her a quick wink before he closed his eyes and resumed his unconscious acting.

Mia stood up, looking between the door that Felix was beyond, the stairs Jenna had retreated down, Garet, and the kitchen area. She struggled to decide what to do, normally she would just go outside and let the morning refresh her, but right now that seemed wrong. She corrected that thought, it only seemed wrong because of the knowledge of the argument, if she was to pretend she had to go outside.

Taking a deep breath, and running another Ply through Garet's forehead, she casually pushed open the door to the deck and allowed the saline morning sea air to flow through her body. The scents of salt and fish came in fresh. She stood by the railing, staring out at the sea and the ochre horizon. The sun wasn't long up, only having just become full above the line of the sea, and it spilt all of its colour freely over every surface it could touch. Humming to herself, trying to make it seem as though she knew nothing, her thoughts tried to figure out what else Felix could have been arguing about.

Turning her head from side to side, humming whatever tune last night's musicians had managed to get stuck in her head, she hoped to innocently catch sight of Felix. That way she could try and help him, get him to apologise for or justify whatever he had done to ruin the happy mood of the ship. Indeed, no one actually knew about the argument outside them save for herself and Garet, but that didn't mean it wouldn't somehow manage to get to everyone. Things had a habit of doing that on this ship.

Before long, she saw Felix's slouched form sitting on one of the benches of the deck. She did admit that she had to move herself a little to finally see him, but that didn't matter, _"Oh, Felix! Good morning."_ She chirped happily as she moved over to him taking a seat at his side, _"Tired?"_

The man let out a long, and understandable sigh, _"Yeah… I really am."_

Mia's touched his arm softly, care entering her eyes, he didn't often admit to being tired, _"What's wrong?"_ She questioned, so desperately wanting to brush his locks of hair out of the way of his face.

Felix shook his head, leaning back in the bench, the locks of hair falling behind him revealing a bright red handprint on his cheek. Felix had clearly run a cure into it, Mia could tell, but not enough to be rid of it, _"Nothing,"_ He replied, still not meeting Mia's gaze, _"last night was just rather eventful."_

_"Yeah, it really was."_ She smiled in return, trying not to indicate the handprint, _"Thanks for dancing with me, by the way. But, why don't you go back to bed and get some rest, hmm? There's no point in leaving this early. No one's up but us so if we get attacked at sea there could be problems, and I don't think we have enough Psynergy to fly the ship safely back to sea. You can rest until everyone else is ready enough to go. It shouldn't be too long. Besides, you really look like you need some time to rest and get some shut-eye. Did you even sleep last night?"_

Felix shook his head, _"No."_ Then he said something that surprised her, _"But, you're right. I'm exhausted. Tell the others I'll be trying to rest, they can leave whenever they're ready."_

Mia blinked twice, sure she had misheard him, but when he stood up and wavered a little she believed him. At his side within a heartbeat, she took some of his weight onto her shoulder, _"Here, I'll help you back downstairs. Promise you'll take it easy today, okay?"_

He nodded as they made their way through the common room, _"I promise."_

When they reached their room, Mia lay him down on his bed, telling him to just leave the tunic on and not worry about trying to get it off. Then, after changing in the bathroom herself and suggesting he find some way to plug his ears before he drifted off, Mia smiled to him and whispered a good night before she left him to rest. She placed her back against the door after she closed it, exhaling breath of relief.

Felix actually listened to her advice. That was rather new. Still, she knew it was most likely because of whatever argument he had with Jenna. Smiling a little, she went back to the common room to tidy up and tell Garet it was okay to get up now.

* * *

Garet smirked, even though his head was pounding, as he and Mia set about tidying up after last night. Mia was in the process of emptying out the remaining liquids in any container that was lying around, he was doing the same now and then, though he drank the remains rather than poured them down the sink. That probably wasn't the most productive way of facing today or of curing his hangover, but cleaning up was cleaning up.

It wasn't long before the mugs, flagons, steins, tankards and glasses had been emptied and tidied away. As Garet began closing up any crates of drink that remained open, Mia began clambering up onto the ones across from him to take down the decorations he had so painstakingly struggled to put up. He looked up just in time to see one of the boxes wobble as Mia climbed it and darted across the room. He managed to catch her even before she fell, and pushed the box into a sturdier position.

_"And I'm supposed to be the one with no balance."_ He laughed as he made his way back to the crate he had been sealing shut.

Mia giggled a little as she pulled down the ribbons from the walls and roof, _"Thanks, Garet. So, do you remember much of last night?"_

Garet grinned, he did remember one particular detail, but how could he say it now? Surely he had to drag it out a bit first, _"Oh, this and that. Once the dinner ended it kinda goes hazy. I have to apologise to Sheba for dancing, don't I?"_

_"Oh yeah."_ Mia laughed, _"Oh and me. Thankfully I was smart enough to only dance with you once."_

Oh, she just asked for it there, he couldn't let that slide, _"So-rry, beautiful. You had me replaced pretty quick anyway, I'm surprised you even remember me after your romantic moment with Felix."_ A blush flared into existence over the healer's soft face, a blush that rivalled the colour of Garet's own hair, _"So, oh darling healer, what was that about?"_

_"N-nothing!"_ Mia stammered, trying desperately to believe herself, _"I wanted to dance that's all. What do you mean what was it about? It wasn't about anything."_

That was far too many words for Garet to believe her… and that hurt. He loved Mia, to think that she might like Felix over him threatened to break his heart. He refused to believe that, hoping he was just taking it all the wrong way. It wasn't unlike Mia to become very embarrassed whenever anyone hinted at her doing something _'relationship-y'_… so maybe he was overreacting just as she may be, _"Suuuurrreee... and what about when the slow dance ended, huh? You two just stood there staring at each other. Sheba, Ivan and I bet you'd kiss."_

_"I wouldn't kiss Felix."_ She argued, mentally saying she had done so once before, _"You're reading into this too much."_

_"Oh, right, of course."_ Garet mocked, _"I should have remembered, you're saving yourself for me. Thanks."_

Mia frowned to him, raising a sceptical eyebrow, _"Yeah. You believe that, Garet."_

Garet began chuckling to himself as they resumed the clean-up operation. He diverted his thoughts away from Mia and his heart and to Jenna. He had forgotten about her attempt so long ago, he assumed Isaac had to. They were the only ones who knew about it. It had taken a long time to calm her down, even longer to bring her back to who she used to be. It was easy to assume everything was okay, that she was better.

He knew it would never be better, nothing was ever perfect. They both knew she always took time each and every day to remember her family, she would never be _'better'_. It was easy to forget, or not think about, her attempt. They never mentioned it, or brought up anything like that, around her, themselves or anyone else, but Garet never thought that she may have thought of it every day since her first try.

He would have to tell Isaac. The two of them would have to sit down with her again. He knew they should probably include Felix in that conversation. After all, what kind of friends would they be if they didn't try and rebuild the kinship Jenna and Felix should have?

He sighed when the room was finally clean and fell into a very sticky couch. Speaking of which, he wasn't currently in the cleanest state, nor could he see how his hair stood at the minute. He should probably go and wash, he stank of drink and Sheba's vomit after all. Besides, he should probably wake the others up as well. Felix had been quite vocal about leaving before the party, he must have wanted to leave as early as possible.

Mia told him not to wake Felix as he went downstairs. He smiled and nodded to her, before he eventually stumbled into his room, being greeted by quite the hilarious sight. Ivan was entirely passed out on the floor, and it seemed as though it had happened half way through unchanging. He was missing a boot, his jacket, he had only one arm out of the sleeve of his shirt, and his trousers were falling down around him.

_"Ivan!"_ He roared, after creeping right up to the boy's ear.

He paid for that of course, as Ivan jumped a mile, head-butting Garet right in the nose while his electrical Psynergy was active. The boy bounded back, desperately clutching his skull as he ran his Psynergy through his mind, trying to root out the source of the ungodly torment within.

Garet meanwhile, massaging his nose, laughed at the young boy, _"Don't drink if you can't handle the aftermath, boy."_ He smirked, patting him on the arm as he made his way into their bathroom.

_"Shut it."_ Ivan snarled in response, rocking back and forth as he tried to cure his mind.

_"Hmm, angry in the morning, eh?"_ Garet said from beyond the door, _"But you're such a fun and loving drunk… what a conundrum."_

Ivan grunted as he steadily crawled up the wall he was against. It almost hurt to move, it seemed the higher he was the more delirious and in pain he was. Still, if he could just get washed or changed, get last night off him, he would be fine. He was sure.

As Garet came back into the room in his boxers, Ivan rushed into the bathroom. Sticking his mouth down by the taps of the sink he let the water rush into his mouth, intent on downing as much of it as he could. Garet was chuckling behind him, holding some towels and another tunic. His hair was a dishevelled mess, resembling a longer red version of Isaac's, though it was much less dashing than his.

_"Wake the others will ya?"_ Garet smiled as Ivan finally felt hydrated and left the bathroom, _"Oh, but leave Felix. Mia says he needs to rest or something."_

Ivan nodded, as he began to finish his uncompleted changing attempt, _"You got it, bro."_

_"Oh, and leave Jenna alone. She's not feelin' the best. She's in her room, so she and Sheba can be left for now."_

Understanding this, but wondering what was wrong, the young Jupiter Adept quickly made his way to Isaac and Piers' room when he was finally finished cleaning himself up. Isaac was half hanging off his bed, his bed sheets tangled around him in a mess of fabric. Piers was being as boring as ever, asleep soundly without any problems.

_"Alright, guys!"_ Ivan announced comically, waking the two occupants of the room, _"C'mon get up, world's still in danger! I'm in danger, you're in danger and some guy named Steve is in danger! Let's get to it!"_

The two groaned and Ivan ran from the room, thinking of bothering Jenna and Sheba for the fun of it but ultimately decided against it. He greeted Mia as he came to the common room, she being in the process of whipping up a breakfast for the group, and resigned to wait for all the others to join him. Twenty minutes later, all but Sheba, Jenna, and Felix were gathered around the table for breakfast.

* * *

By midday they were well out to sea. They had navigated out of the river, that trip made quite short by utilising the Wings, and were steadily flying north towards Prox. The winds were relatively calm, and thankfully flying resulted in no monster attacks. Isaac greatly enjoyed the lack of beasts trying to turn him into their next meal, after all, he didn't quite feel up to having to fight today. He wanted to keep enjoying the euphoric feeling of last night. Of course there was the pain of the aftermath, but it was outshined.

And that was thanks to Jenna.

She had kissed him, entirely. He hadn't been expecting that. At all. That was a real surprise. He really didn't know what to say, or think, when he tried his brain just kind of switched off and all he could remember was the moment. That amazing feeling of her lips pressed firmly into his, her hands pulling him closer, her tongue dancing with his in a joyous revelry of love. He really loved her, more than ever. Still… he had to wonder _why_ she had done that.

He wanted to believe that it was because she felt for him like he did for her, but common sense told him that she had drank quite a bit so her senses probably weren't with her. After all, she hadn't exactly thought the kiss through. She had bounded on top of him, knocking him to the floor, banging his head off it and leaving them in a very uncomfortable position for it. Not that he had noticed at the time of course, nor had he thought that everyone was watching them. He'd have to talk with Felix before he did anything.

_"Yo, Isaac."_ Garet called gently from the railings, gesturing for him to join him.

Isaac smiled broadly as he came to Garet's side, admiring the flapping Wing at the ship's side. The man seemed like he was in pain, not physically though, _"Still hung-over? Well, I suppose you did pass out when you were dancing on the crates. It's your own fault really."_

Garet chuckled a little, _"Yeah, I am a little. But, it's about Jenna."_

Isaac stiffened his pose a little. He wasn't sure where this would go after what had happened last night. He wasn't sure what Garet's position with Jenna was, if there was one. What if Garet felt about her the same too? Neither of them would want to stop the other from being with her, they loved each other too much to do that to the other.

_"Um… remember the Boulder?"_ Isaac didn't respond, he let Garet talk. The man swallowed once and pressed on, _"Remember how Jenna… how she tried to… you know… not deal with it?"_

Whoa… t-this was taking a very unexpected, and unwanted, turn. Isaac really hadn't expected this to be brought up. Ever. They never talked about it. They never wanted to talk about it. They had both considered it better practice to just leave it as a memory and be with Jenna at all times, _"Uh… y-yeah. What's brought this up?"_

_"Felix."_ Garet answered simply, _"He had a talk with her this morning about last night."_ He made an unnecessary face to get his point across, Isaac hadn't needed that, _"Well, Jenna didn't take it well. He said he wouldn't _'allow it'_ and that he was looking out for her as her brother. Jenna really didn't like that. She exploded, saying that Felix wasn't really a brother anymore, that he didn't really care about her. Apparently Felix never asked how she was after he _'died'_. He didn't want to bring back any bad memories. Jenna ended up just telling him everything and it all just came out. Then she stormed away, been in her room since."_

_"Why didn't you tell me this earlier!?"_ Isaac yelled, drawing Piers' attention, turning to rush to the girl's side.

Garet grabbed his arm and pulled him back to his side, _"I wanted to give her time first, you should know that, as far as she's concerned we didn't hear anything. And I wanted to wait until Felix was up, we owe it to them to try and get them back to how they used to be properly."_

Isaac sighed, leaning on the railing with his best friend. He had done right, really. They often considered Jenna and Felix's relationship to be back to how it was, because that idea had come along when they were still naïve. They had been taking things at face value lately, so they needed to shape up. Seems Garet was already on his way to doing that. They should wait for Felix, _"You did right, man. I say we wake Felix up though."_

_"Probably best. I thought he'd be up ages ago, because it's him. But, yeah, I'd say that's the best thing to do. Ivan and Sheba can take our shifts up here, it's mostly quiet. Piers could deal with anything anyway."_ Garet sighed, _"C'mon. Hey Piers, we're taking a break, we'll get Ivan and Sheba to watch you."_

_"Very well."_ The Lemurian called back, his eyes fixed on the horizon.

Isaac and Garet made their way downstairs, stopping into Garet's room where they found Ivan and Sheba laughing together. Smirking to each other as they left, after getting them to head upstairs, swearing the two were secretly at it, they knocked on Felix's door. The man answered moments later, seeming fully awake and together they made their way to Jenna's room.

* * *

Sheba sat perfectly still on the couch, afraid that if she moved the horrible screeching pain she felt when she first woke up would return with a vengeance. Ivan sat beside her, using his Psynergy to try and cure her. She smiled to him, but his eyes were closed in concentration. She so wanted to just lean forward and kiss him, to attack him and not care who saw, she just wanted to have him. She remembered suddenly that Ivan was in her mind and shut herself up immediately.

She looked around the room, careful not to move. Mia was sitting at the table reading a book. The healer looked up and smiled back to the girl. Sheba knew that Mia could most likely have her headache gone in a second, but she wanted to spend more time with Ivan. She knew she had promised that they would spend time apart and try and figure everything out, but it had been a month now. She knew she wanted to be with Ivan… he was still undecided.

Kraden sat across from Mia, doing the very same as she was, granted he had stacks of books and papers. The scholar never seemed to have his nose out of something educational, it seems even after all he had tried to learn throughout his life, he still didn't know enough. Sheba wasn't sure how he did that, she was never really one to care for learning in that sense. Besides, what could those books teach him? All of them were no doubt written by non-Adepts, spouting theory after theory about the lost age, Psynergy, the elements, and Alchemy. Chances are Kraden could learn more from them if Ivan or she ever found a way to manipulate his mind the way they could do with other Adepts so they could exchange knowledge. Non-Adept minds were weird.

She smiled as she looked back at Ivan and moments later his Psynergy faded away, the pain from her head entirely gone. He beamed to her as his eyes opened, revealing their mysterious purple sheen, _"Better?"_ He asked.

She pulled him into a hug to answer, squeezing him once tightly before releasing him, he didn't get a chance to return it, _"Much better. Thanks."_

_"Anytime, always glad to help you out."_ He smirked, but then it quickly morphed into a rather strange expression, _"Umm… actually, could I talk with you for a bit? In private?"_

Sheba felt her heart leap into her throat rather quickly. She had just been thinking about him in _'that way'_. What if he had found that thought when he was in her mind? What if he wanted to discuss that? Maybe he wanted to say he wanted her too… or maybe that he didn't. She was so afraid and so enthusiastic, in a way, about this conversation. She was unsure though, _"Umm, sure… okay."_ She mumbled as she stood up.

The two of them left the common room, drawing the teasing attention of Mia, and found their way into Ivan's room. Jenna was still in her room, so they couldn't talk there. The poor girl really mustn't have been feeling very well. Ivan had said Garet had told him she wasn't feeling her best. Sheba could sympathise, after last night she doubted anyone was in great form. Plus, she had kissed Isaac, she was probably avoiding everyone to stem the tide of teases she would receive, as well as a talk from Felix. Actually, he was still in his room as well, which was rather strange. Then again, Mia had said he needed his rest, so she didn't question it.

Ivan sat down on his bed, patting beside him to indicate she should do the same. Carefully, taking time not to seem too eager to be on Ivan's bed with him, Sheba eventually brought herself to sit beside him. For a few moments it was relatively quiet, save for the sounds of the sea that came from the porthole, then Ivan let out a slow breath, a very slow breath. Sheba didn't know how to take this. Then Ivan spoke.

_"Umm… you really don't know _anything_ about yourself… do you?"_ He asked awkwardly.

Sheba suddenly felt very strange, that wasn't where she expected this conversation to go. It was true she didn't really know anything about herself. She didn't even know where she was from. Faran, her adoptive father, told her that she had fallen from the sky and that he had found her in a crater after watching her fall from the heavens. She had no parents, no knowledge of where she was from, she was as unsure of who she was as anyone. She always doubted that she fell from the heavens as a baby, but everyone in Lalivero had told her the same as Faran had. She was continuing on the quest with Felix, not just to save the world, but to see if she could find anything about herself.

_"Uh… y-yeah…"_ She answered, fiddling with the bed-sheet behind her.

_"This might sound strange, but… you don't need to know where you're from or who your family is. I'm the same."_ He admitted, _"I don't know my parents and I only found out that Master Hama is my sister and that Contigo is my hometown a bit back. It doesn't really change anything, Sheba."_

Sheba blinked at those last words. It… it didn't change anything? That couldn't be right, _"B-but Ivan-"_

_"I was adopted too, Sheba. I know how you feel." _He stated with an expression that told the whole truth of that matter,_ "I always wanted to know who I was, where I came from, if there was anyone looking for me. Now I do know, and nothing's changed for me, sure it's nice, but you don't need it. I really hope that you do find your family someday, but it won't change you. You'll still be you. You'll still be Sheba. Remember, we're your family too, all of us."_

_"I-Ivan I… I j-just-"_

_"Sheba."_ Ivan said seriously, _"Where you're from, who you're descended from, it doesn't decide who you are. You do. And you've done an excellent job of doing that."_

Staring into his eyes, Sheba felt the tears almost forming in hers. All she had longed for her entire life was to discover who she was, where she was from, to find anything about her and now someone almost suffering the same fate as her told her it wouldn't really matter. It hurt, she still longed for it. She couldn't help it. Her entire life she had been different.

She was the only Adept in Lalivero and believed that she was the only one in the world before she saw Ivan use his Psynergy a year ago. She was always given special treatment in Lalivero, the special child who could soften the winds of the sandstorms that sometimes blew through the town. She had only been treated as an equal after being kidnapped by Saturos and Menardi and consequently continuing the quest with Felix.

_"Ivan… I-I…"_ She sniffled and breathed in quickly, almost crying.

Ivan pulled her into a hug, wrapping his small arms around her and tenderly running his hand up and down her back. She almost laughed at this, and she returned it fully, bringing herself even closer to him, so glad he was there. The hug was so caring, loving and soft. Silent tears rolled along her cheeks in a mix of mirth, sadness and regret.

Ivan pulled away and smiled softly, _"It's okay, Sheba. I'm sorry. It's just when I was in your head... I kept seeing, well, you just searching for it."_ He produced a small handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped away the glittering streaks on her cheeks, _"I just wanted to help."_

_"You did, Ivan."_ She sniffled and smiled gladly, _"You did. Thank you."_

He put his arm around her and pulled her into a loving embrace. She gladly rested her head into his chest, curling up and pulling Ivan closer to her, glad that he was with her. In time, the sombre mood left them and they began to smile and laugh together. They told the tales of last night to each other, teasing and laughing together, fully enjoying the other's company. Sheba for one was so happy.

Then Isaac and Garet came in, saying that it was their turn on deck. Still smiling as they made their way upstairs, Ivan and Sheba strode confidently onto the deck weapons and laughs in hand.

* * *

Felix had no chance of sleeping had he tried. Yes, he was very tired, and after everything he learned he was absolutely exhausted, his mental faculties overloaded by what his sister had revealed. He tried not to think about it, did his best to ignore it all, just to think about something else, but he could not turn his thoughts away from his only sister. He loved his sister, he knew he didn't show it often enough, but he did.

Jenna was a strong girl, or at least he thought she was. She could handle herself easily enough. Hell, she had been defiant toward Saturos and Menardi even, and was not shy about holding her tongue to them or Alex. She had been threatened, she and Kraden, yet she stood up to them unwilling to take any crap from them. As much as Felix may not have particularly liked the conflict between the Master Adepts and his sister, he couldn't help but feel his chest swell with pride as he watched her. She had grown up just fine without him or their parents.

That's what he had thought up until this morning. Maybe she had only become so spirited _because _of that… incident. Had she not been driven to that maybe she wouldn't be who she was today… had she not been saved she wouldn't even be there today… He could feel a tear or two on his cheeks, but he wasn't bothered wiping them away, he had no right. These tears were for his sister, wiping them away would be like proving he didn't care about her.

Two knocks rapped against his door, accompanied by the voices of his two oldest friends, and though they hadn't been friends in a long time, Felix should have expected this conversation. One of them would have gone to Jenna eventually, and she would have told them, and they would come to kill him. He was fine with that really, after what he had done to his sister he deserved some amount of punishment.

He dragged himself to the door, pulling it open, murmuring a faint _'come in'_ before returning to sit on his bed. Isaac and Garet followed closely behind him, Isaac remaining standing while Garet sat on Mia's bed.

_"We need to talk."_ Isaac stated sharply, not much care in his tone.

Felix made to answer in the affirmative, but Garet got his words out first, _"Isaac, chill. Felix,"_ Garet said, fixing his auburn eyes on him, _"I was awake this morning, I heard everything. We haven't gone to see Jenna yet."_

Felix didn't answer, he allowed them to say their piece, it wasn't as though he could have said anything to help the situation after all.

_"Listen, this… problem… uh, we've tried to just keep it as a memory for the past few years. We never brought it up with her after it, acted like it never happened, never talked about it ourselves after, all we've done is tried our best to make sure she never did it again."_ Garet said quickly, Felix was rather surprised it wasn't Isaac doing all the talking, _"We thought she was over it… you know, as much as anyone can be over something like that."_

_"You must have brought it all back when you came back from the dead."_ Isaac said harshly.

_"Isaac, relax, it's not his fault, he couldn't have known."_ Felix found himself somewhat surprised that Garet was defending him and that Isaac was moody… traditionally the roles were reversed.

_"It's fine, Garet, he's right."_ Felix spoke, avoiding both of their eyes, finding a knot in the wooden grain to stare at, _"This is my fault, if Jenna had managed to somewhat bury it, I dug it all back up when I came back. I just wished I'd known."_

Isaac took a step forward, _"Yeah, but what I want to know is why you apparently never asked her how those three years alone were for her. Why didn't you ask her, Felix? Did you just not care? What?"_

Felix shook his head, turning to look into the judging blue eyes glaring down on him, _"Don't be a fool, Isaac. You already know why I asked her nothing of the past. It was already safe to assume how difficult her life was after I left it. Seeing me may have brought back one too many bad memories, I didn't want to have to put her through the pain of having to relive them by asking her. I just wanted her to know that I was back, and that I cared for her. Every day I asked her how she was, looked out for her, did everything I could to try and rebuild our family."_

Isaac's gaze softened some, but not by a whole lot, _"You didn't want to put her through the pain, or you didn't want to go though it yourself?"_

_"Both."_

Garet intervened quickly, standing up and placing a hand on Isaac, _"Look, man, he did what he could. I bet it was hard for him too, he had to live in Prox for all that time, knowing that Jenna was probably having such a hard time. Cut him some, alright?"_

Isaac sighed, relaxing noticeably, _"Yeah… alright… sorry, Felix."_

_"No need."_

_"Alright, great."_ Garet replied, glad that seemed to be sorted between the two leaders, _"Now, it's all well and good trying to solve this in here amongst ourselves, but I'm willing to bet Jenna's in her room crying or punching something and generally just being a wreck. We need to sort this out with her."_

Felix shook his head, disagreeing with that statement, _"Not we. Not yet. You two perhaps, but seeing me right now won't help her. It would be better if you two helped her."_

_"I agree, it probably would be better if we helped her alone, but that would not be better for the two of you. She needs her brother back, Felix."_ Isaac stated, _"It's fine having us, but she needs you back if we're ever going to get past this."_

_"C'mon."_ Garet sighed, grabbing Felix beneath the shoulder and lifting him from the bed.

Reluctantly, knowing this would not end well, Felix followed his two friends to where his sister waited.

* * *

Jenna sniffled and batted at her eyes for hours. Felix could be such a bastard. Why did he have to make her remember everything _today_? The day after she had kissed Isaac for the first time? This should have been a great day. This day should have been the most perfect in her entire life, at least in recent memory. No day had much contest to what today should have been in the past five years, that was for sure. Today should have been _the_ day.

Today… she had hoped that today, following the events of last night, she and Isaac might actually be able to bring their friendship past just that. She wanted more with him, so much more. She had loved him for years, but she was always so unsure of how he felt, especially after the Boulder fell. After that, she really couldn't tell if Isaac had feelings for her. He was the kind of guy to either stay a friend rather than exploit someone's feelings of loneliness or enter a reluctant relationship just to keep that person happy. How could Jenna have ever been happy with either of those scenarios? That Boulder ruined so much.

And today should have been the day to fix all of it. But no, Felix, one of the lost to the Boulder, decided that would not happen. He had to remind her just how much that day had changed everything, how it would always haunt every day, no matter how great. After that day _nothing_ could be fixed. Her relationship with her brother was forever destroyed, her emotional stability had been rocked to its very core, all of Vale never ever looked at her the same way again, and all hope for Isaac and her being together was shot down.

She still loved Isaac, she always had. For as long as she could remember she loved her best friend in the whole world. One of her earliest memories was of Isaac and her together playing, laughing. He had been with her through her entire life. She had always pictured them getting married, raising a family together. Yes, it was the perfect dream, but everyone had a perfect dream. Hers was not so unrealistic though, all she wanted was Isaac and a family. Before the Boulder that seemed like such an achievable goal. But how could it be perfect now?

It couldn't be perfect without her parents there with her, or without Isaac's father with him. It couldn't be perfect anymore, the Boulder had completely destroyed her life. That's why she just wanted to end it, what use was a destroyed life? Those had been her thoughts in those moments. Thank the gods Isaac and Garet found her, they showed her lives could be rebuilt, but they could never be the same. Felix just didn't understand everything she had been though. He thought he had it rough in Prox, she had it even worse in Vale, even if Isaac and Garet were always there for her.

_"Jenna?"_ A voice called shortly after a few knocks on the door, _"It's Isaac. Garet and Felix are here with me. We know what happened, let us in. We'll sort it out, okay?"_

She sniffled, wiping away her tears and went to the door. Isaac and Garet smiled to her, such sweet friendly smiles, as she opened the door. Felix though kept his eyes turned to the ground, his entire face hidden by the hair that fell over it. She allowed Isaac and Garet easy access to the room, smiling to them as best she could. She tried to shut the door in Felix's face, but Isaac had seen that coming and told her to relax.

Isaac and Felix took a seat on Sheba's bed, while Jenna and Garet sat on hers. There was a silence for a moment or two, Garet and Isaac seemed to be communicating with each other, and when they were done Isaac finally spoke.

_"Jenna. I, _we_, hoped that this issue would never come up again."_ Isaac started very slowly and very carefully, _"We know it's difficult. This will be just as hard, nothing's easy anymore, but you and Felix really need to sort things out. Garet and I will try and keep things calm and sort out any details for the two of you, okay?"_

_"There's nothing to discuss."_ She stated firmly, glaring daggers at her brother, _"He recruited you to get me to say sorry and forgive him, this is done."_

_"Actually," _Garet interjected, placing a hand on Jenna's shoulder as she had made to stand, _"I was awake this morning. I heard everything. This was my idea and we had just as hard a time convincing Felix to come here."_

_"I'm sorry, Jenna."_ Felix started, looking into his sister's eyes with true remorse.

_"Oh, that means a hell of a lot now, Felix."_ She retorted angrily, _"You think one apology will make it all better? You think you can say one word and suddenly I'll forgive you, that I'll forget all the crap I've put up with because of you?"_

Felix shook his head, _"No, but I am sorry. I never knew it had been so difficult for you. If I had-"_

_"If you had you would have had to have _asked_ me how it had been!"_ She cut across angrily, tears welling in her eyes again, _"You couldn't have expected me to just come out and tell you! The fact is, you had to get me so pissed at you that I shouted it at you to hopefully get through your skull!"_

_"I know, but I never thought it would have been that hard. I always thought these two would be there for you. I never thought that thought would ever cross your mind."_ Felix responded softly, doing his best to get across how truly apologetic he was.

Jenna though, was having none of it, _"These two? You're dragging them into it now? You're lucky they were there for me and that they still think you worthy enough to be their friend after all the shit you put them through! We could have been working together from day one, but you had to wait two years before you gave them a single explanation! Isaac and Garet have always been there for me. Unlike you."_

Isaac and Garet were looking at each other with some uncertainty. They weren't exactly sure how they planned this to work, but this hadn't quite been it. Both of them made to try and calm down the situation, but their efforts meant nothing when Jenna's mouth opened again.

_"You know what the worse thing is, though?" _Jenna pressed on, _"You're the one who started this. All over some stupid fear about me and Isaac! I kiss Isaac once and you get all high-and-mighty saying that you're not going to allow it! Where the hell do you get off telling me what I can do, or who I can kiss, or what I want? You're not our goddamned parents!"_

_"I know that!"_ Felix retorted, tired of this verbal beat-down, _"Alright, I get it! I screwed up! It's not like it's the first time! But you're acting like I don't love you, that I don't care about you! I do, Jenna, you're my sister. You might not think I'm much of a brother anymore, and I'm sorry, but I do my best to look after you every day." _He sighed deeply to himself, Jenna didn't respond for a second or two so Felix took the chance to press on, _"Every day I do something I regret, some decision is made that I know was the wrong one. I made one back in Contigo that I'm regretting… One I regret every day since I came back into your life!"_

Isaac and Garet sat back a bit. Shouting matches between Felix and Jenna were awfully reminiscent of Vale, they had often argued. The difference this time is they were both skilled warriors, and the topic at hand was much more serious and delicate than everything they had argued over in Vale put together. Moreover, to see Felix shout nowadays was very rare. He shouted in battles and in places of great noise, but never in situations such as this.

_"Oh and what's that huh!? Oh, no, we didn't get that Djinni in a time efficient manner so now we have to hurry or we lose another millimetre off Weyard? Huh, what is it!?"_ Jenna shouted angrily, standing over him.

Felix jumped from the bed, glaring down at his little sister, _"Our parents are alive! So is Isaac's dad! I thought that if you knew you'd be too damned distracted to save the world! All you'd want to know each and every day is how they were! Too afraid to fight in case you got hurt and weren't able to see them! That once we got to Prox you would just want to stay with them rather than go to the Lighthouse! I know it was stupid, but__…_"

Felix exhaled a very vehement breath, all other occupants of the room entirely shocked. Felix stormed away moments later, having given up on this reconciliation attempt. Garet chased after him, trying to bring the man back to explain. Jenna stood still, her mouth agape. Her hand went to her heart and she fell backwards onto the bed, staring blankly at the space Felix had just occupied. Isaac was doing the very same, neither of them could quite believe what they had just heard.

_""Mom… Dad… alive?""_ Jenna thought. They were alive? How… but… Jenna's mind went completely blank. All she had was the image of Felix shouting at her and the words continuously repeating in her mind. Her parents were alive. It just… it just didn't seem real.

Isaac swallowed twice, his eyes occasionally blinking. His father… he was alive? His dad, the man he had lost years ago, was still living somewhere? That star he had associated with him had no meaning to him at all? But… but how? It was a miracle enough that Saturos and Menardi had saved Felix. He never dared to hope that Jenna's parents and his father were lucky enough to be saved as well. It just seemed so unlikely.

He blinked again and looked to Jenna. She was staring at nothingness, tears rolling down her cheeks. Isaac was at her side in a heartbeat, cradling her closely as she just continued to be lost to this new knowledge. How was she supposed to even begin to understand this?

Felix slammed his door behind him, punching the wall furiously as he let his emotions break free. He punched it several more times, watching as his vision blurred with tears that fell to the ground. Gods, damn it, this was never supposed to happen! They were supposed to go through Prox, light the Beacon, then return and learn their parents were okay! Why did the world just continuously want to break his family? Had they not suffered enough already?

Garet returned to Jenna and Isaac moments later, having given up on Felix once he heard fists beating into the wall. Noticing the two together, he nodded to Isaac and closed the door for the two of them. He lay against the door as he did. Felix kept that knowledge from his own sister? He understood him keeping it from Isaac, somewhat, but his own sister? That was just cold, heartless. After everything Jenna had been through she deserved the truth more than anyone. Garet was not going to help Felix with this one.

Jenna rocked back and forth in Isaac's arms, still trying to grasp what Felix had told her. Her parents… they were alive. So, she still had her whole family? Then… what if she had killed herself all those years ago? What if Felix had come back to a Vale where she had, and had to tell their parents? Would anyone ever forgive her for that? She had hated that moment of weakness more than any before, but now, it cut so deep into her soul… she just didn't know what to do.

She fell into Isaac's embrace even more, breaking down and just letting everything escape her. How could any of this be real? This should have been happy news, and somehow… somehow it had become so horrible and devastating. What was wrong with the world?

* * *

_**That's the latest chapter.  
Dramatic, huh? Poor Jenna.  
What did you all think?  
I'd love if you left a review and told me.  
**_

_**Until next time,  
Your friend and writer,  
Droory**_


	11. Apprehension

_**Hello all! It's another chapter! Excited? You bet your ass you are!  
I know I've been gone a while... but hey, I'm doing things.  
Writing a softship oneshot, two spiritship oneshots, Destiny Wings, three projects which I can't (won't) speak of, and I discovered a shipper's wet dream in the form of Fire Emblem: Awakening.**_

_**Anyway, thanks in advance for reading and hopefully reviewing!**_  
_**Thanks to anyone who has, and here's our reviewers!**__**  
**_Bonar, Celestia's Paladin, crazy reader, Golden Sun Guy 17,  
Noel the mermaid_, _TrippyToastersAndABagOfChips_, and _templeofdecay  
_**Thanks guys! You're the best!  
Now, to the thrilling next installment!**_

* * *

Piers stared out over the horizon as he raced the ship forward, bringing them ever closer to the end of their quest, to the Northern Wastes, to Mars Lighthouse. He cast a watchful eye around him, his trained sight watching for currents, shallows, and most importantly, the traipsing wraith of grey and black that spat lightning far behind them. The storm was fast approaching, Sheba and Ivan had told him as such not long after they took over Isaac and Garet's shift. He was not keen on trying to sail through a storm, much preferring that his ship be secure and safe until it passed. He noted this was an unlikely hope, seeing as all around the only land he could spy was made of sheer cliff faces.

He turned his head around to survey the deck and find the Jupiter Adepts. To his surprise he came face to face with his fellow Mercury Adept, who was smiling warmly to him. Surprised as he was that Mia had either managed to sneak up on him or had just gone silent since joining the crew on deck, he smiled back fully. He still searched around for Ivan or Sheba through his peripheral vision.

_"__Vi'na ti'ud'ri__, Mia-kan'oi."_ Piers nodded, as he took yet another cautious glance around him, _"You are a most welcome sight to these old eyes. How may I help you?"_

_"I actually came out here to ask you if _I_ could help in any way. I'm really bored. I can't seem to find anyone else. Felix is… um… he needs rest. Garet and Isaac have gone to talk to Jenna I think, and Mercury only knows where Ivan or Sheba are."_ Mia stated, not sure exactly how being with any of them would relieve her boredom. She did feel like a third wheel amongst the Valeans and the Jupiter Adepts when they were together.

Piers smirked a little, _"So, I was your last resort? Well, if you wish to help, you could find Ivan and Sheba for me. I want their assessment of that storm following us. I'd prefer if we were as prepared as possible when it hits."_

_"Aye aye, captain!"_ Mia rhymed back, giggling to herself, before she started marching about the deck calling out the young Adepts' names.

About thirty seconds later Ivan's head appeared from the crow's nest while Sheba appeared from a barrel. Mia and Piers, noting Sheba's placing as the strangest thing they had seen in some time, cast quick questioning glances to each other then to the girl. As Ivan quickly descended the ladder, Sheba made to explain.

_"Playing hide-and-seek! We were bored!"_ She said though the blue-haired occupants of the deck didn't find that to be a reasonable explanation.

_"What if Piers had been attacked while you were hiding? Or you got knocked overboard in that little barrel of yours?"_ Mia asked as the three of them went back to their captain's side.

Ivan waved his finger back and forth, as though to alleviate her worries, _"We were quite clear that we would cover the funeral expenses for any party members lost or killed during our game. It's always a prerequisite when playing hiding games. Don't you know!? Why, did you never offer to cover damages when you played in the snow when you were younger!? Ah! To think the gentle healer would never think of other people's needs at such crucial times as playing games is despicable!"_

_"De-spic-a-ble!"_ Sheba rhymed back, laughing, _"Reporting for duty, Captain Picard!"_ Sheba straightened up and saluted Piers, as did Ivan.

_"I've told you to stop calling me that."_ Piers answered. He had grown quite tired of the name Sheba had thought up for him while he was piloting the ship. Worse still that Ivan had also adopted it and a ridiculous catchphrase to go with it, and on top of it all he had named the ship the _LS Enterprise_ for whatever ridiculous reason. It was Sheba's punishment for Piers not revealing his age, but if this was the price so be it.

_"Pow-pow, captain. Orders?"_ Ivan smirked as he remained rigid in his formal position.

Piers, or Picard as he was currently known by the two, sighed and shook his head, _"Very well. The storm, when might it hit us?"_

Ivan quickly glanced behind him, glowing with Psynergy, Sheba did the same, though Ivan was done first, _"Well… first off, judging from what I can guesstimate, it won't be a storm when it gets to us. Which would be in a few hours." _Piers expression told more explanation was needed, _"It's like it is because of the proximity to Jupiter Lighthouse. It should start to dissipate before it gets to us. I'd say worst we get is some wind and rain. Impossible to tell how long it would last, could be a day, could be a week."_

_"But, just in case you want worst case scenario, as you often do, we might get caught in the tail end of it. The winds could be strong enough to rock the boat just enough to make us uncomfortable. It could mess with the seas, making them a little less agreeable to our fine ship. Rain and cloud regardless will be heavy enough to obscure solid lines of sight, so, take it easy during it, yeah?"_

_"In short, we should be fine. Worst possible thing could be someone slips on deck because of the rain. You probably won't wanna be flying at that point. Want us to mix up a guard detail?"_

Piers nodded his thanks to the two, _"Make it so."_ The two ran off at the order, _"Mia, if you could get Isaac, Felix, and Kraden, for me as well, then meet me back here. I'll do what I can to see if I can find a safe place to land before then."_

Mia frowned, _"But, they said it wouldn't be too much to deal with."_

Piers nodded, _"Yes, I know. However, poor visibility is not something I am particularly fond of dealing with after our adventure in the Sea of Time. Paired with their assumptions of strong winds and waves, I would rather not risk accidentally guiding us into a dangerous situation."_

With this explanation, Mia smiled and nodded and quickly made her way back inside. Piers turned his eyes back to his surroundings before deciding to cease the use of the Wings of Anemos. If there was one thing he did not favour it was being blinded mid-flight and crashing into some random part of Weyard. The Wings either side slowly stopped flapping, and a gentle spray of froth and seawater splashed up over the deck as they came back into contact with the seas. The Wings expended too much Psynergy, and everyone would need as much as they could to fight the monsters they would now have to start dealing with.

Gripping the wheel tighter as he started fighting small waves to keep them steady, Piers surveyed the area around him. There didn't seem to be any safe land to dock at, or wait out the storm, everywhere was just too exposed to the elements. Moreover, now that they were in the sea, the threat of monsters returned, and the monsters of the Western Sea were not to be trifled with. He steered the ship away from the land he had been scanning, deciding it better to be out at open sea, rather than to be near the cliffs and land of northern Gondowan.

Not long after, Mia's voice rang across the deck, spurring him to turn around. Kraden and Isaac walked beside her, Felix followed several paces behind. Judging from the facial state of the two Valeans something had occurred, which did not bode well for their attempts against the storm.

_"Ivan and Sheba say the storm will have calmed by the time it catches us, which will apparently be here soon. According to them, winds could be strong enough to interfere with our course and visibility will be poor. The others are deciding on guard shifts for the pilot. We should decide on both a course to follow, or find a suitable place to dock and wait for it to calm entirely, and decide piloting shifts."_ Piers stated in one rather quick order.

_"I'll pilot for the rest of the day."_ Felix said bluntly, disregarding Piers' objections, moving to the wheel immediately. He continued piloting north until an order would tell him otherwise.

Isaac grunted as he Piers and Kraden returned inside to plot out a course a safer course than their current heading. Mia, however, remained on deck eyes, full of care, fixed onto her leader's back. For a moment she contemplated just leaving him be for now, he was clearly in no mood for anything, but she had no way to help the others just yet, and besides, Felix was her biggest concern. Slowly placing one foot in front of the other, she drew closer to him.

Standing beside him, she swallowed unsure of how to approach this situation. It was clearly a very delicate issue, whatever argument had transpired between him and his sister was sensitive enough to be kept secret even by Garet. It was none of her business, she knew, but Felix's well-being was her concern. Taking a deep breath, she started with a basic, and most likely to be deflected question.

_"What's wrong, Felix?"_ She turned her eyes to him. His eyes were narrowed, his jaw completely set firm, as he glared at the horizon.

_"Nothing."_ He responded harshly, his posture remaining entirely rigid.

Mia frowned a bit, _"You're a surprisingly bad liar when you're upset, Felix."_ She tried a bit of humour, realising too late it would be pointless, _"Look, I know about the argument you had with Jenna. I know it's none of my business and I don't expect you to tell me anything, but I want to help. You don't have to tell me anything… but I hate seeing you like this."_

_"Just leave me alone, Mia."_ Felix stated, his words gaining more finality as he finished.

Mia took a breath, about to try again, but relented. Right now, it would do nothing but aggravate him further, and she didn't want to cause him anymore pain. She nodded to him, turning around to head back inside, _"Alright, but… just remember… I'm always here if you want to talk."_

She received no response from him, nor had she expected any. She sighed inwardly, casting one last glance at the lonely man she had thought she was getting closer to, as she went back inside.

It seems she was wrong.

* * *

Jenna sat and cried in Isaac's arms. How could her brother keep such things to himself? How could he not tell his only sister, who previously thought him to be all she had left in the world? Her parents were alive and she was not crying tears of joy. Everything just came out at that wrong time, absolutely everything. She admitted she overreacted earlier, but that didn't mean she wasn't right, and it certainly didn't justify any of Felix's actions today.

_"I just don't know who he is anymore, Isaac."_ Jenna sobbed into the blonde's chest.

_"I don't think anyone does, Jenna."_ Isaac responded softly, but it carried with it the gruffness of rage that directed itself toward Jenna's brother.

How could anyone know this new Felix? Isaac doubted that even Felix knew who he was anymore. Gods only know what those demons of Prox did to him and the older Valeans when they were their captive there. It had turned him into something, a weapon, not a person. A stronger person did not come from Prox, it was a weapon of flesh and earth forged in the freezing cold by the flames of Prox. And that weapon did not distinguish between friend and foe.

Time went on, with Jenna softly sobbing into Isaac, and Isaac simply holding her. Neither knew what to say, they couldn't find the words the moment so desperately needed, they were so lost with the revelation. No thoughts were spared for the others on board, or for the storm that would be bearing down on them. It was almost as though the elements were reflecting what they all felt in their hearts, but the storm would pass… the pain they felt would not.

Jenna shook her head, sniffled once or twice, and looked up at Isaac. Her tears were spent, as in no more would come. She could keep on crying, but that would accomplish nothing. So, she smiled to him. It was a little smile, slightly sad, tears were caught on the edges of her lips, but it showed the promise that their families were still okay. Isaac returned the smile, but it was just for her that he smiled. There was no other thought on his mind other than ensuring that Jenna was happy.

Slowly, there smiles faded… but not because the smiles should have been done. No, they each saw something, a moment where something happened, indescribable as an event but impossible to ignore as the two saw it in the other's eyes instantaneously.

_"Isaac…?"_ Jenna whispered quietly, her eyes still alight with the gentle moisture of her tears.

Isaac swallowed, feeling his throat slide away with the motion. He knew he had to answer her, and yet something just constricted everything within him preventing just that. He stared into Jenna's gloriously beautiful wine-red eyes, doing his absolute best to try and say something in return to her. Why couldn't he speak, now of all times?

Jenna tilted her head a little, Isaac saw her swallow as well. He could feel sweat starting to roll along his forehead and he swallowed again. Was this really happening? Was this _the_ moment? It wouldn't be right would it? Not after everything that had happened. But she had… attacked him last night, and fought with Felix defending just that. Maybe this…

He made to move in, slowly, swallowing for a third time. Jenna mirrored him. Then three loud knocks pounded into the room's door. Isaac immediately jumped a mile back moving to the bed over the opposite side of the room. Jenna similarly backed away, her cheeks flaring a bright red and she began to fiddle with the ends of her blanket, doing everything but looking over to Isaac.

_"Hey, guys?"_ Garet's voice came, _"Umm, this isn't the best time, but Ivan and Sheba said that we need to work out guard shifts on deck. If you want we can leave y-"_

_"N-no, it's o-okay! We're coming!"_ Jenna answered shakily, still as red as a cherry. Isaac was already at the door, smiling one last time to Jenna before he left to join the others.

Jenna took a very deep breath to calm herself down, to be rid of the heat she felt throughout her body. It was probably for the best that nothing had happened. It wasn't the time for it, and with the storm coming it would have just been bad. At least… that's what Jenna tried to make herself believe. After all the emotion today, she would have like if love and happiness had been amongst them.

She went to the bathroom to splash some cold water on her face and clean herself up before she went to join the others to tidy everything up.

In the common room Garet, Ivan, and Sheba were busy scrawling hastily on a piece of parchment. A scribbled down table with their names, and Isaac's, Mia's, and Piers', it seemed the slots beneath were to assign an hour shift to each. Garet had already signed up for the two straight shifts, with Sheba with him first, then Ivan. Apparently he had told the others that she wasn't feeling up to it just yet, so they gave her time to recover.

She smiled to them a little, to reassure them, _"I'm okay. I'll take over for Garet when he's done."_

Ivan and Sheba nodded, scribbling an 'x' in the third slot beneath her name and began discussing further shifts amongst themselves, questioning Piers and Isaac's shifts.

As they did, Garet leaned closer to the redhead, _"You sure you're okay?"_ He whispered, so as to escape the Wind Adepts hearing, and producing a single tissue from one of his pockets.

Jenna smiled to her friend and nodded, _"A little. I'm real lucky I have you two."_ She replied, using the tissue Garet had given her to dab at fresh tears in the corners of her eyes.

Garet smirked in return, _"We're always here for you, you know that, but I'd say we're lucky we haven't been killed for stuff we've done before."_

Jenna made a small noise like a laugh, _"Who would I have to beat up if I killed you two?"_

Garet laughed and put his arm over the girl's shoulder, _"Well, our corpses, but I don't think that'd be as fun."_

Jenna snuggled up against Garet's body as they continued to secure everything.

Before long Isaac, Piers, and Kraden, came in from the deck, rolling out a map. Instantly, Isaac caught the eyes of his two friends and excused himself, saying something about Kraden and Piers being more competent at deciding courses than he. Jenna tried to smile to him, and he seemed like he tried to smile back. It could have been everything that had happened, or it could be the interruption they suffered earlier, but they both knew something was amiss. Thankfully, so did Garet, and always true to being their best friend, he did what he could to help.

_"Guys, we've pretty much got everything sorted out. If you two want to go and talk about things I'm sure no one would mind."_ The man smiled wide to his friends as Isaac volunteered himself for a shift alongside Jenna, _"I'll say you're doing something, watching for the tricky monsters who manage to sneak on-board from below. Don't worry I'll come up with something good… hopefully. Now, go on, get out of here before you're roped into something else."_

Jenna wasn't exactly sure about this. After everything, she wasn't sure time alone with Isaac so soon was necessarily the best idea, and she assumed he felt the same. But, she knew he was right in some way, they should talk, remember their parents, sort things out.

* * *

Felix breathed vehemently at the wheel as he guided the ship along. Kraden had just informed him that there was no safe landing for them to reach before the tail of the storm hit them, as everyone fully expected, meaning he would have to fight the difficulty of harsh weather. This he actually wanted though, anything to relieve all the frustration and emotion. Fighting against nature itself was no doubt the best way to vent everything.

Why in the hell did all that have to happen? Why the hell couldn't he just have left Jenna alone this morning, left her alone instead of attempting apology a few hours later? Had that been the case, Jenna wouldn't have had to remember her suicide attempt, he wouldn't have had to know, their bonds would still be strong, Isaac and Garet wouldn't be forced to remember and no one would have found out about their parents!

Gods, everything was just trying to hurt him and those he cared about! He reasoned he should have stayed and explained to Isaac and Jenna about their parents rather than storming out, but dismissed that as foolish given his sister's emotional level at that point. It started to rain down on the ship, and Felix was glad for it as it hid his tears amongst the drops from the heavens. No one could see him cry, and he did not have time to lift his hand away from the wheel to wipe them away.

…Jenna tried to _kill_ herself…

The thought finally hit him. He had tried to ignore it and not dwell on it since this morning, but it finally dawned on him as the winds began to pick up into a gale. He would have lost his sister had it not been for Isaac. Isaac _had_ always been there for his sister… he remembered that much from Vale. As much as he detested the amount of time the two had spent together, he was actually one of the two people back then, the other being Garet, that he would have allowed be with her. Why did he still have to try and push the two apart?

He had said the two could be together if that's what they wanted once they were back in Vale. He tried to think about his reasoning for pushing them apart: so that there was no relationship distracting them during times of crisis. And yet, he had created a crisis. What if them being together actually wouldn't have caused a problem? What if it was all just on him again? What if… he was just trying to justify his reasons for keeping Mia at bay?

No.

Mia had to be kept back, Jenna and Isaac were a different situation altogether. He would apologise to them and tell them about their parents and stay out of their way. He owed his sister and the man who saved her that much. Yet, there was still that voice in the back of his head that told him to keep the two apart until it was done, some feeling that told him it was for the best.

_"Felix!"_ A voice yelled over the gale.

Felix turned just in time to see a beast be struck down by searing bolts of plasma behind him. Sheba rushed over to his side, her Psynergy active to slow the wind down. Felix didn't realise the wind had become quite so strong, his hair consistently whipped his face.

_"Are you okay!?"_ Sheba asked over the noise of the winds, _"You gotta be careful!"_

Felix nodded, turning back to find that Garet had just felled two others behind him. The Mars Adept gave Felix a cold stare but nodded to him regardless, Felix couldn't blame him. Shifting his focus back to piloting the ship, Felix now realised the storm was bearing down on top of them, but as Ivan and Sheba had said what they were in now would be the worst of it. The seas, which had been relatively calm when last he remembered, were now unsettled by the winds, crashing into the ship with enough force to unsteady any on board.

Felix began fighting against the elements with as much of his strength as he could, spinning the wheel in argument to whatever wave he was fighting. He focused his Psynergy into the delicately crafted wood beneath him, physically planting himself to it to ensure he didn't lose his balance. Casting his eyes upwards he found that the peaceful blue skies he remembered when he had first come on deck had now been replaced by swirling clouds of blacks and greys. The occasional jolt of fading, weak, lightning sparked within, electricity that fuelled the Venus Psynergy within him to fight in response.

Spurred on by the strength his element gave him to fight his opposing force, Felix discarded all other thoughts and committed himself fully to keeping everyone on board safe.

* * *

Mia sighed as she sat on the couch in the common room, staring at her lap. She just couldn't get her mind off of Felix and whatever had happened. Everything seemed to be going so well recently, he seemed to be cheering up, growing more accepting of her. Maybe she had just let herself believe that because he had danced with her, maybe it was just a one-time thing. She didn't know, she wanted to believe that he had been coming out of it, but maybe he hadn't and now he was even worse.

Glancing around the common room, she found Ivan reclining in one of the chairs by the table that piers and Kraden were still studying a map at. He was offering some advice every now and then regarding the current status of the storm.

_"Hey, Ivan?"_ She called over to him, drawing his attention. She beckoned him over with her hand. Smiling, he moved over to her quickly, plopping down onto the couch beside her, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

_"So, what do you need, pretty healer girl?"_ He asked brightly.

_"Company."_ She answered bashfully. It was true after all. She felt rather lonely with her thoughts annoying her as it was. It wasn't her shift for guard duty and Isaac and Jenna were nowhere to be found. She didn't much like the idea of sitting alone just thinking about everything that was going wrong behind the scenes on the ship.

_"Ah, well, you have chosen a gentleman suited to just that. I believe you shall find my presence quite entertaining and should eliminate any feelings of loneliness you may have."_ He smirked to her, taking his arm from her shoulder, _"So, what's up?"_

Mia shrugged, now feeling rather ridiculous for not thinking of a topic to discuss before she had called him over. Ivan sensed this and started up by himself.

_"How about we talk about that dance of yours last night?"_ He started, nudging the Imilian in the side with his elbow, _"Don't know if you noticed, but everyone was watching you. Your face was so red it was funny. So, did you get any last night after everyone else passed out?"_

_"Ivan!"_ She protested, giving him a light punch in the arm, _"I wouldn't do that! Even if you would!"_

_"Felix isn't my type."_ Ivan countered, though he wasn't prepared for Mia's response.

_"I was talking about Sheba, wind-boy."_ She played, crossing her arms as she sat back into the couch confidently.

Despite Ivan's training at deflecting embarrassment, he couldn't help himself when Mia turned his joke on him with Sheba. Mia smirked even wider as the tiniest shade of red crept onto him, _"W-what are you talking about!? C'mon now. We all know I'm after Jenna. Isaac can't handle her."_

Mia didn't let up, _"Oh, really? Then what's this?"_ She poked his cheek, making it even redder, _"Why, that looks like a blush! But, if you didn't like Sheba you wouldn't be embarrassed at all. Buuut, maybe you're right. Maybe you don't like Sheba. I'll tell her you want Jenna, okay?"_

_"No!"_ Ivan argued immediately, uncaring of his folly, _"She doesn't need to know about my love life. Besides, this was about you and Felix. Don't try and take the pressure off yourself. I wanna know why you didn't kiss him when the dance was over. You were like a second away and then you had to go dancing again. You realise I lost twenty coins 'cause of you?"_

_"Not my fault. You should have known better to bet with Sheba, she always wins."_ Mia countered, though she was slowly turning the same colour as Ivan was.

Ivan smirked a bit in spite of himself, that was true, _"Yeah… I guess she does. Wait, how'd you know that?"_

_"Mind Read."_ She giggled in response.

Ivan did not seem overly amused, which was a change for the boy, _"Ha-ha. Genius."_ He replied flatly.

Mia smiled a little bit, tapping his shoulder twice, _"Ah, cheer up. C'mon, tell me, how do you actually feel about her? I bet even Garet can tell you like her."_

Ivan chuckled a little at this. Garet was never one to pick up on things really, to say that he had was a real shot. He scratched the back of his head absently, turning to face Mia. The healer was smiling peacefully at him and, despite the slightly tumultuous weather that was exciting the Psynergy in his blood, Ivan felt calmed and reassured. No matter what Mia may say to him, or how she may tease him, he could always trust her with the sensitive issues of his life.

_"She's fun to be around."_ He paused for a moment thinking how to further word his answer, _"And we kissed once or twice."_

Ivan was rather surprised that Mia's jaw didn't hit the floor with the speed it had fallen open. She stared at him for a moment, Ivan shrugging in admission to the unspoken question, _"You and Sheba… when?"_

_"Contigo. I kind of broke down when you were out… Sheba took care of me. After that, I gave her a little kiss on the cheek."_ Ivan explained, though the word cheek seemed to make Mia's face drop a little, _"Then we kissed for real when we were out on that walk together when you woke up… a few times…"_

Mia smile grew as Ivan finished, breathing out and reclining into the sofa. It felt good to get that out… he didn't much like dwelling on whatever he was feeling for Sheba. It was somewhat obvious that she was infatuated with him, he had seen as much when he was curing her of her headache. He was still undecided on what it was he felt… in truth, he admitted he was probably just scared.

_"So… what is it between the two of you then?"_

Ivan shrugged, but then a smirk grew as an idea for fun emerged, _"Tell you what, I'll tell you about it if you tell me what the deal is with you and Felix. Not to say it's obvious, but you're definitely different around him."_

The blue-haired healer shrunk away a bit, not really wanting to say anything on the matter, but even Ivan could take things seriously. In fact, he had probably already read her mind, knew everything, and was just doing this to get to her. Besides, he could keep secrets too, Jupiter Adepts seemed to be good liars… if they didn't choose to expose it for hilarity.

_"Deal."_ She confirmed, shaking his hand firmly.

_"Alright, so,"_ Ivan started, sitting forward and becoming more serious and playful simultaneously somehow, _"Thing is… I like her, but I don't know what it is. I know she wants me, who wouldn't after all?"_ He chuckled at himself, _"Seriously though, she seems to genuinely want a relationship with me, but I don't know if I do. I really like her, but I don't want to risk our friendship if it doesn't work out because this whole thing is new to us and we're just young and excited."_

Mia seemed primed to laugh at him her smile had spread so wide, he didn't take this as a good sign initially, _"That's so cute!" _She exclaimed, though quiet enough to not be heard by the others in the room, _"Aww, my wittle Ivan is growing up!"_

_"You know you're gonna pay for this."_ He replied as he batted away Mia's hand, which had just managed to pinch his cheek.

_"Worth it."_ Mia smirked, _"But… anyway…what are you afraid of here? You both like each other, and, as you said, you're young."_

Ivan rubbed his forehead a little, _"I've read more minds than I should have in my time. I've seen memories of couples who start off entirely in love and it all falls apart for some stupid reason that makes no sense. I don't want to risk that."_

Mia smile was gentler as she took his hand in her own, _"Ivan… that's kind of the point. It's a leap of faith. You don't know what the future's gonna be for the two of you, you don't know if or what problems will come along, you just have to believe you can get past them, stick it out. I'm sure whatever memories you saw, you saw some that had similar events, but turned out happier. Thing is, if it's meant to be, one of you will always push to make it work."_ Mia paused for a moment to reflect on the sadder case, _"And if it doesn't work out… it could hurt for a while, but you two are great at making friends and resolving problems. I'm sure you'll always be friends… besides, we couldn't have you being all sour whenever we got together when this quest is over."_

Ivan smiled, taking in all of Mia's words. Despite the fact that she had never been in a relationship herself, she did seem quite wise on the subject. Granted, she seemed to be able to calm anyone's problems down and make them seem easier. Maybe it was just the way she said them, maybe it was her voice or the air around her, but there was something definitely helpful about Mia's words in any situation, _"Thanks… that… that gives me more to think about."_ He laughed at himself a little, _"Maybe I was just being stupid… still… I might not try anything just yet…" _He shrugged at these words before turning back to Mia, _"So… time for your part of the deal."_

Mia sighed a little, falling back into the couches cushions as she exhaled. What was the situation with her and Felix? There was none really, yet there was. It was strange.

_"Felix… Felix is… he's hard to get close to. You've seen how he is… he can be distant at his best, sometimes it's hard to get him to speak. I'm kind of just trying to be friends with him, you know, proper friends like you and I. I mean, he's even closed off to Isaac, Garet, and Jenna. I want to help him… get him past whatever happened to him."_

_"Noble… not easy, but noble. Not sure if you can, but if the dance was anything to go by, you're breaking him down. Though… I am still curious as to how _you_ feel about _him_. Not what's up with him or what you're trying to do. It's no secret that rumours are floating around after your moment together after the dance."_

Mia felt the heat in her cheeks, and there was no real point in lying to Ivan. At the slightest suspicion he would dig out the real answer from her mind without her even knowing, _"I guess… he's kind of handsome. So, I suppose I sort of like him…"_

Ivan smirked wide, and would have said something had the door not been kicked in._  
_

* * *

Sheba took a deep breath of the Jupiter-filled air, the electricity, the force, the smog, the cloud, all of it. It was great. It was cold in the thick of it, yes, not as bitter as that gods-damned tower in Tundaria, but she didn't mind. Jupiter entirely surrounded her, finding its way into every part of her form, strengthening her Psynergy even more. She didn't even have to move, all she needed to do was direct her Psynergy at whatever foolish creature was stupid enough to climb onto this ship, though as time passed the storm continued to fade and she had to rely more on her own power. She beamed wide as another beast clambered over the rails to her left.

_"Want a meal, huh? Well, how about a fresh bolt of lightning to that ugly face of yours!?"_ She squealed ecstatically as the clouds around her directed multiple threads of blue-white energy right into the beast. She giggled joyfully as its charred and sparking carcass was tossed back overboard quicker than it had appeared there.

Garet smirked to the girl, giving her a thumbs up as he ripped his axe from the body of a giant turtle that promptly slid away and bounced over deck. He hoisted his weapon over his shoulder as he hunkered down, trying to stay stable amongst the thrashing the ship was taking. Sheba mimicked him, crouching down and casting a watchful glance around, her arms sparking with the surrounding electricity.

_"You're really enjoying this, aren't you?"_ Garet asked loudly, his voice just audible over the whistling hiss of the winds surrounding them, _"Never thought I'd see you so ferocious, princess."_

Sheba laughed, answering him by shooting a bolt from her hands into the sky, breaking through the clouds for a moment, _"I'm just getting started!"_

_"That's the spirit! Heads up! On your left!"_ Garet exclaimed as he straightened up, shooting flame past Sheba.

She turned in time to see a fish-man, she didn't care what it was called, Kraden had some scientific name for it, as it tumbled back over into the sea, his blade following quickly behind him. Three more fowl of the seas were closing in on them along with two of those jelly monsters she so detested. They would never just die. She corrected herself there, they would this time. Garet quickly rolled around, dodging the barbed tentacles of the jellyfish. Sheba smirked at her chance and fired a bolt right through the appendage, severing it. She didn't let it end there though, she brought all the energy around it in and the beast imploded, its innards spraying in every direction.

In her joy to finally kill one of those beast without the risk of another sprouting from it, she had forgotten about the other monsters. She dove to the side quickly as one of the birds had taken a deadly swoop at her, followed quickly by a tentacle. She began to slide along the deck, unable to regain herself after dodging, Sheba rolled around trying not to get hit. Garet's hand quickly hoisted her back up and he had darted away, planting a Djinn fused axe into an incoming bird, cutting it in two.

Angry now, but playing it safer, Sheba brought the voltages in the clouds into a deadly stream of crackling bolts. The remaining birds dropped to the deck or the sea, fried entirely. Garet had dispatched the remaining jelly monsters and Sheba breathed a sigh of relief. She was getting too caught up in this and it had almost cost her dearly.

_"Thanks, Garet." _She spoke softly, bracing herself against a railing.

_"Anytime._ _You okay?"_ The man asked as he moved to a safer position on the boat, something Sheba was currently neglecting to do.

_"Yeah… ugh, here we go again."_ She sighed as more webbed-hands and tentacles gripped the railings of the ship, followed quickly by the rest of the monster.

The two of them separated quickly, dealing with the intruders upon both sides of the ship, if they could dispatch them before they got on board it would be far easier. Sheba was quick to act on her side, mixing a strong electrical current into the water flowing off the deck and over the monsters while she assaulted them with the gale. She smirked as she watched the beasts tumble from the edge.

She turned around to examine Garet's situation, only to find a fish-man bearing down upon her as Garet struggled with numerous others on his side. Too late to stop the weapon being swung down on her or to dodge it, Sheba instinctively brought her arm up to defend herself. A moment later she was floored, a sickening crunch echoing in her ears. Moments later, her eyes registered what had happened and pain coursed through her.

A blunt portion of the weapon had collided with her left arm, breaking it and forcing the bone through flesh and skin to jut out repulsively from her. Only now did she realise she was wailing in agony, trying to focus enough to defend herself or ward off the beast bearing down on her.

* * *

Isaac felt rather sick with the tossing and swaying of the boat in this storm of opposing elements. He had been down in his room with Jenna for half an hour, and he could still not get over this nausea. They hadn't even been able to talk about anything because of his problem… maybe he was making it worse for himself so he didn't have to do just that. He braced himself against the wall, feeling the Venus energy within the wood run through his fingers. It had been a proud day for him when he had first overcome his sea-sickness. He remembered with a grimace the journey through the Karagol Sea, he had been in a horrible state, even Garet had been better than him though not by much, and they had to fight that huge Kraken. That was just what he needed that day.

This day though, this wasn't exactly seasickness as such. It was more Element Separation Syndrome as Kraden called it in Magma Rock when Mia and Piers were acting rather oddly. He had experienced it before, in places like Jupiter Lighthouse. There he had been prepared for it, knowing that his element would be opposed and non-existent, but here it just happened and all the constant rocking didn't help his state.

He opened his eyes as he felt a tingle in his hand. Jenna was holding it, looking right at him. He tried to smile, keep her happy in the knowledge that he could handle it. Jenna was not someone Isaac could ever fool so easily.

_"Relax." _She ordered firmly, _"You'll be fine… just… just relax…"_

Isaac nodded, fully agreeing with the idea of being motionless and resting. Jenna rubbed his back he buried his face in his hands, not wanting to watch the world sway around him. He was a Venus Adept, he was more used to everything being solid, unmoving, firm. Right now, the ship counteracted all of that, even though it was still held together perfectly. He could hear Jenna walk off, saying something about getting him some water, as he continued to try and overcome his weakness.

He sat back, his eyes still closed as he moved his mind away from the constant movement. Naturally the first thing his thoughts fell upon was the scarlet haired girl he loved. Had they actually almost kissed earlier? Yes, they had kissed last night, but did that really mean anything? Not to say Isaac didn't enjoy it, his first kiss with Jenna. It was just that, Isaac had always imagined his first kiss with her as this perfect moment, not something completely unexpected where he was tackled to the floor and pretty much had no choice.

The moment earlier would have been that moment if not for everything that had transpired before it. They hadn't really talked at all as they worked during this storm. How could they after all? The dynamic had been rocked by that ruined moment, had they just been given a few seconds longer it would have been fine, but neither of them wanted to bring it up now? What was he supposed to say exactly? _'Did we nearly kiss earlier?' _or_ 'Want to try that kiss again?'_ That was just stupid. There was no way to talk about a moment like that, not without being horribly stupid and awkward. All they could hope for was that another moment would present itself and it would not be ruined.

He turned his mind away from the thought, coming back into the shaking world for a second, and went to thoughts of his father. His father was actually alive. How was he even to begin properly processing that information? There were just too many questions, so many that would probably never have a good enough, or even an, answer. The chances that Felix had survived the storm all those years ago was a miracle to all of them. The chances of all of them surviving was just a foolish dream, some stupid hope, and yet it was true. How?

What would his father think of him now? Before he was gone Isaac wasn't exactly a model son. He was disobedient, uncaring, and uninterested towards his parents. Then he was forced to grow up, so… now he was a completely different man, a strong, dependable, caring man. Granted, he always had those characteristics… were they just stronger now? And if that was the case, would his father even realise the difference outside his physical difference now? Maybe he would have to prove himself, show his father how much he had changed, that he wasn't a boy anymore, that he was a man now.

A man… a man wouldn't be wallowing in his current weakness, he would overcome it and prove himself. A man wouldn't just let news like that reduce him to what he was now. So, Isaac stood up, drawing power from the strong wooden constructs around him, and began moving forward. He was better than this, and he knew it. Jenna was somewhere nearby, he could feel her life-energy pulsing through the Venus related forms around him. He trudged forward, searching her out.

* * *

Garet desperately hacked at all of the monsters clawing their way overboard. He was sure he was keeping them all at bay, slowly reducing their ranks, his axe and his flames did seem enough to deter any from making the daring attempt. It was only when he heard an ear-splitting scream that he realised he was wrong. Whipping around, he saw Sheba fallen to the deck, her arm broken at an ungodly angle as blood spattered across her face. Taking a deep breath, not fully trusting himself, he hurled his axe at the creature readying another swing, charging after it. He couldn't lose Sheba, the others would never forgive him, _Ivan_ would never forgive him.

He breathed joyously as he saw his axe wedge itself into the side of the beast, and within a moment Garet had wrenched it out and then slammed it back into the monster, knocking the beast up and off of the ship.

Crouching down, shielding Sheba from more advancing monsters Garet released the rest of his Djinni to allow them to fight off the attackers. He felt his own power become severely drained as the raw energy left him to materialise into his companions He didn't realise how exhausted he was, how much energy his Djinn gave him. He almost collapsed from the force of them leaving him. Shaking his head to keep himself present he glanced down at Sheba, her arm was twisted at a horrible angle thanks to the attack. Tears were pouring from her eyes as she tried to stifle her cries of pain. Garet promptly knocked her out, saying she could electrocute him later.

Hooking his arm around her waist, he made his way toward the cabin door, staying low as his Djinn waged war on the monsters. It was a good thing they were as angry as he was that Sheba had been hurt, these monsters had no chance until the Djinn needed to rest. After crawling through froth, waves, and charred bodies as they slid past, he pulled himself up and kicked in the door. Falling through the door, he took a breath, mentally telling his Djinn to return to him. Some had already exhausted themselves.

_"I need you out here! Mia, help her out!"_ He announced, not even bothering to explain, or check the room, Felix was in danger if he was left out there alone. As much as he did not care for Felix at the minute, losing the pilot in this storm would be the death of them all.

_"What happened!?"_ Ivan yelled, grabbing his staff as he rushed outside quickly followed by Piers, only for the storm to become even more enraged without him holding it back.

Garet didn't answer, as he had gone about swinging his axe into the chest of a monster and firing flames around him. Ivan growled, the storm adding more fuel to his anger as he began to dispatch the beasts that had hurt Sheba.

* * *

Mia and Kraden had cleared off the table quickly and placed the young girl down on it. It was rather difficult to study the injuries during the thrashing of the seas, but Mia was an expert and determined to help. Running her Psynergy through the girl's body, she searched out each wound. Kraden was beside her, setting out any healing supplies they would need if Mia was called to help outside.

_"Okay, her arm and wrist are broken, she has some bruises and a few cuts around her ankles, it's nothing serious. Can you help me reset the bones?"_ Mia said quickly, moving to the arm in question.

Kraden nodded hastily, bringing bandages and splints with him as he did. Mia smiled a little, hopefully they wouldn't need to wrap up her arm if she was allowed to use her Psynergy sufficiently to heal. Together they delicately held the arm, before fitting the bones back together amidst the flesh and tendons that had been torn by them. Mia was rather glad Sheba was out cold, she had a tendency to spew a curse or two she had picked up from the more vocal of the group, namely Jenna. The girl's face twitched a little as they reset her wrist as well.

_"I'll work on healing the arm, Kraden, you do what you can with the cuts. If I'm called away support the arm properly, okay?"_ The scholar nodded as Mia began to focus on the broken bones.

Mia closed her eyes as the Psynergetic rings enveloped her, taking a deep breath she found her way inside Sheba's arm. Slowly but surely, she searched out each crack the bones may have suffered. She had healed broken bones countless times before, well, since joining Isaac and Garet anyway. Garet had a tendency to get hurt more than the others. Smiling as she reminisced about the time he had dislocated his arm trying to save her in Jupiter Lighthouse, Mia had finished repairing Sheba's arm, and moved to her wrist.

_"Mia?"_

Mia blinked twice, bringing her back to the real world. Kraden was gesturing at the wrist, noting a tiny piece of metal jutting from it. Nodding, Mia carefully removed the foreign object, with Kraden's expertly steady hands helping, and worked her Psynergies through the wound. Once done, she reset the bones, healing them as best she could, but instructed Kraden to set some splints just in case.

_"Will she be okay?"_ Kraden asked as Mia opened her eyes and placed her hands back on the table.

Mia nodded, rather satisfied with the work, _"She should be… as long as she doesn't do anything too Sheba before she's fully healed. Injuries like that take some time, or a lot of Psynergy, to heal. Right now, I can't risk it, so she'll just have to take it easy."_

_"We'll need to find a way to secure her."_ Kraden stated, though the words completely baffled Mia, _"All of this rocking, we can't have her tumbling and undoing your work. We'll need to find a way to keep her steady until she wakes up or when the storm has passed." _

Mia nodded, wondering how she had not registered this at first. She stayed by Sheba's side as Kraden disappeared downstairs to find anything they could use to secure the poor girl. As he did, Mia wrapped up Sheba's arm in a sling, there was no point securing her if the injury itself was not steady. Kraden returned not a minute later with several length of rope. Not particularly favouring having to do this to the girl, Mia lifted her to the couch where she was tied down for her own safety.

Mia smiled and thanked Kraden as he finished tying up the ropes and ran more of her Psynergy through Sheba's body. Sitting beside her, Mia couldn't help but think of the conversation she had just had with Ivan. Smiling wider as she turned to face the girl's somewhat pained expression, she began telling stories of Ivan to her, some were true, some were fantasies involving Sheba and Ivan together.

* * *

Jenna rubbed the back of her hand underneath her eyes. Why was she still crying!? She had no reason to. This was good news, _great_ news, _fantastic_! Her parents were alive, so was Isaac's dad, they both still had their entire family. They weren't as alone in the world as they had thought yesterday… so why wouldn't these damn tears stop!? It was just because Felix had been such a bastard, that was it. He had betrayed her, didn't care, he dug up old weaknesses, he had just hurt her, that was all.

She scanned the walls and panels around her. The lower decks were so depressing and cold, she hated it down here, but chances were if there was going to be anywhere she could get away from others it was here. She knew she could be around Isaac, that she _should_ be around him, she couldn't quite face him. Neither of them could even talk to each other this whole time, not properly. They were too hurt, too unwilling to bring back everything Felix had caused in them.

She wished to be on deck fighting, killing all those monsters that dared attack them. She should be allowed get angry at all them, let out all her rage and teach them a lesson. Yeah, they'd all have Felix's face, and she'd burn them down. Of course she'd never do it to Felix himself, as much as she hated him, she did really love him. He had always been one of her closest friends, and he always did do his best to keep her safe. Still, she had a right to be pissed at him, to pretend she was hurting him every time she burnt the shell off a giant turtle.

What right did he have to keep such precious information to himself? After all the times she had talked about him being her only family he knew that to not be true. He made a fool out of her. How could he do that to her, his only sister? He had lived it up in Prox with her parents while she was left to slowly be driven to desperation in Vale. She could feel her own rage boiling within her, as strong as the tempering forges of Mars, ready to reduce her brother to ashes.

_"Jenna?"_

She took a deep breath and turned around to find Isaac walking toward her, only then realising that her flame-cloaked fists were clenched so tight they were ready to draw blood. She shook her hands, extinguishing the flames as he did, and smiled to Isaac. She could still feel some tears on her cheeks, but she didn't bother to wipe them away. They wouldn't stop if she did, besides she didn't mind crying around Isaac. She trusted him more than anyone else.

_"Hey, you feelin' better?"_ She smiled as best she could.

Isaac stood still in front of her, his eyes on the floor. Jenna looked down, expecting to see something. There was water on the floor, but it wasn't from the sea, as more splashed as it dripped from Isaac's eyes. Jenna walked to him and wrapped her arms around his strong frame, he really had grown a lot since Vale. She could easily kick his ass before, at least now he'd take a little more before he lost. His arms remained at his sides though.

She was a little shorter than Isaac so, even with his head turned to the floor, she could look him in the eyes, though with some straining of her neck, _"It'll be okay."_ She said softly, trying to believe herself, brushing a finger against his cheek, being rid of some tears.

He smiled and nodded, before pressing his lips firmly against hers.

* * *

_**And that's that!  
So, what did you think of it all?  
Thanks again for reading and please, for the love of all that's holy, type something in that box below.**_

_**P.S.**_  
_**If you would all be so kind. Over at**__ gsfanbook (put in a dot) tumblr (another dot) com _**there's a project underway to gather all art, fiction, letters, cosplayers, songs, theories and pretty much anything GS related to put into a book to send to Camelot to show them that we do want a Golden Sun 4.  
So join the movement now and help save the fandom from dying of speculation overload!  
**

_**Heh,  
Alright, see you around guys,  
Your friend and writer,  
Droory**_


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